Lithuanian parliament passed a draft law on lifting the ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons

Lithuanian parliament approves draft law to lift ban on deployment of nuclear weapons

The Lithuanian parliament has supported a draft law to remove the clause from the Constitution that prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on the country's territory. According to LRT, 99 MPs voted in favor of the document, 13 voted against, and another five MPs abstained.

For the draft law to be fully adopted, the parliament must vote on it two more times. There must be a three-month break between the votes: the first is scheduled for October 9, and the second for January 12. For the amendment to be adopted, at least 94 out of 141 MPs must support it.

In early June, the Financial Times wrote that the US was holding talks on deploying nuclear weapons in Poland and the Baltic states. According to the publication's sources, this refers to US bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The Lithuanian government confirmed that such negotiations were underway and stated that it was considering making relevant amendments to the Constitution for this purpose.

In September, the Kremlin stated that if Lithuania deploys a nuclear arsenal on its territory, the country will become a "target" for Russian nuclear weapons.

Currently, US military aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons are stationed in six NATO countries — Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey.

Russia, meanwhile, deployed its nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine.