Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned on September 13 that lifting Lithuania’s ban on nuclear weapons deployment would not enhance the country’s security but instead create significant danger.
“Lithuania believes this will be insurance for her safety, but it will, on the contrary, provoke great danger,” Peskov stated in an interview with the news agency Vesti.
Peskov added that Lithuanian authorities “simply do not understand” the risks involved in such a decision. He emphasized that if nuclear weapons were deployed on Lithuanian territory, the country could become a target of Russian nuclear forces.
On September 10, Juozas Oljakas, Chairman of Lithuania’s Seimas, announced plans to amend the constitution to permit foreign military bases and nuclear weapons deployment. To finalize the change, the Seimas session must be extended until January 13, 2027.
Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, cautioned on September 11 that Russia would respond harshly if Lithuania altered its nuclear-weapon-free status. He warned that NATO might abandon Lithuania’s protection and that invoking Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty could lead to catastrophic global consequences.
