Lithuania's Parliament Advances Bid to Scrap Nuclear Weapons Ban
The amendment targets Article 137 of the Constitution, which currently bars weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases from being stationed on Lithuanian territory. The Seimas, Lithuania's parliament, passed the proposal in a 99-13 vote, with five lawmakers abstaining.
The measure still needs two additional rounds of parliamentary approval, spaced at least three months apart, and must ultimately secure support from at least 94 of the Seimas's 141 members. According to Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas, the first vote on final adoption is scheduled for Oct. 6, with the final vote set for Jan. 12.
Laurynas Kasciunas, leader of the opposition Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats faction, said scrapping the restriction would not signal any Lithuanian intent to deploy nuclear weapons, but would instead eliminate a constitutional barrier to participating in NATO's nuclear deterrence arrangements.
"Lithuania must not create obstacles to NATO's nuclear deterrence," said Remigijus Motuzas, a Social Democrat who chairs the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee.
Opponents of the measure questioned the need for a constitutional change and voiced concern over lifting the ban on foreign military bases. Remigijus Zemaitaitis, leader of the Nemunas Dawn faction, warned the amendment could be exploited by Russia and Belarus for propaganda purposes. Independent lawmaker Ignas Vegele separately questioned why the proposal would also eliminate the provision governing foreign military bases.
The amendment, if ultimately adopted, would remove the constitutional prohibition itself but would not automatically authorize the deployment of nuclear weapons or foreign military bases on Lithuanian territory.
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