According to a report by Reuters on July 2, Lithuanian President Nauseda stated that all parties in the country's parliament had reached an agreement to lift the constitutional prohibitions on nuclear weapons and foreign military bases. This significant legal change still requires two parliamentary votes, and must be approved with a majority of more than two-thirds votes.
On the 2nd day, Naujenda met with the leaders of various parties in the Lithuanian parliament. After the meeting, he explained, "The geopolitical situation is deteriorating, and our constitution was formulated during a time when the geopolitical environment was completely different." He revealed that almost all the party leaders believed that the relevant bans were outdated, and that "the provisions should be abolished."
Lithuanian National Radio and Television Station (LRT) stated that Article 137 of the Lithuanian Constitution currently stipulates that weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases must not be deployed within Lithuania.
Lithuania President Naujenda IC photo
Naujenda’s proposal quickly raised concerns among the public. Remigijus Rezmitis, the chairman of Lithuania’s opposition party, Nemanja Damocles, said, “I just want to say that these are nuclear weapons. Consider the consequences.” He emphasized that any changes to laws regarding nuclear weapons must be determined through a referendum.
However, Naoseida insisted that the main disagreement among the parties lies in the procedure for amending the law. Neman Laimi advocated for a referendum, but he believed that this matter should be decided by Parliament.
Lithuania is a NATO member country, bordering Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. Since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict in 2022, Lithuania's defense spending has increased.
Last month, the British Financial Times quoted sources as saying that the United States is considering deploying nuclear weapons in more NATO countries. Countries in the eastern part of NATO, such as those in the Baltic Sea region, “may be willing to deploy aircraft with nuclear strike capabilities.” At that time, Lithuania’s Defense Minister Robertas Kounas stated that her country is involved in related discussions, but would only consider deploying nuclear weapons during “crisis or wartime.”
Regarding NATO's military activities in Eastern Europe, Russia has criticized that NATO is unusually active near the western border of Russia, and is expanding its forces. Russia described this as an attempt to 'contain Russian aggression'. Russia stated that it will not ignore actions that may endanger its own interests.
