Overview
- The Lithuanian presidency and parliamentary leaders have proposed stripping a 1992 constitutional clause that bans nuclear weapons so the country can keep its options for defence and NATO cooperation.
- The measure now faces a formal amendment process that requires two separate Seimas votes each backed by at least 94 of 141 members with a three-month gap between them.
- Officials say Lithuania has entered discussions with the United States about possible stationing of US nuclear weapons, but no deployment decision has been made and any use would be limited to crisis or wartime.
- Leaders present the move as a response to rising security concerns on NATO’s eastern flank and note Finland’s recent decision to lift its own constitutional ban as a regional precedent.
- If approved, the change would remove a unique legal constraint among NATO members and could reshape alliance deterrence choices and regional diplomacy, while political support must be sustained over several months for the amendment to pass.