Overview
- Lithuania’s president and almost all parliamentary faction leaders agreed in principle to repeal Article 137, the constitutional ban on weapons of mass destruction and foreign bases.
- The change is intended to give Lithuania legal flexibility to host U.S. or allied nuclear capabilities in the future, and officials stress there are no immediate plans to store weapons on Lithuanian soil.
- Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas has confirmed talks with the United States about possible deployments, and leaders link the move to a worsening security environment near Kaliningrad and Belarus.
- Formally amending the constitution requires two Seimas votes with at least 94 of 141 MPs supporting each vote and a three-month interval, a process officials say could finish by the end of 2026 if pursued.
- The proposal follows Finland’s recent repeal of a similar ban, would not breach the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons because Lithuania has not joined it, and would mark a major shift in NATO’s eastern flank posture.