Lithuanian Parliament Approves Constitutional Amendment Allowing Nuclear Weapons Deployment

The Lithuanian Parliament, on Tuesday, approved a constitutional amendment allowing the deployment of nuclear weapons in the country. This step follows previous Russian threats to target Lithuania with its nuclear warheads, should the Baltic Sea nation host any weapons from NATO's nuclear arsenals on its territory. Vilnius had previously announced its efforts to lift the constitutional ban on storing nuclear weapons, as part of its drive to bolster its deterrence and security capabilities amid the ongoing Russian offensive in Ukraine, aiming to benefit from Western nuclear deterrence. It is possible that NATO's nuclear shield could extend to other countries close to the Russian border. However, the current US administration might procrastinate in implementing such measures, given President Donald Trump's keenness to avoid appearing to escalate militarily against Russia. This US stance is likely to accelerate, in turn, the development and deployment of joint European nuclear capabilities within EU countries, even outside the framework of the NATO alliance.