Symbolic imageKremlin threatens retaliation after Lithuania moves to lift nuclear weapons ban
Lithuania's parliament voted on Tuesday in a first reading to remove the constitutional ban on nuclear weapons. The Kremlin says Russia would be forced to respond.
On Tuesday, 6 October, 106 of 141 Seimas members voted to repeal Article 137, with 18 against and six abstaining. The article also bans foreign military bases. A second vote is set for 12 January, and 94 votes are needed. President Gitanas Nauseda said the change would not automatically bring such weapons into the country but would let him act quickly if the security situation changed radically. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said nuclear weapons or a NATO base in Lithuania would be a significant escalation, and Russia would take all necessary measures for its security.
Washington weighs a permanent base
US President Donald Trump said Washington would consider a permanent base in Lithuania, Politika reports, citing Bloomberg. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said Lithuania would cover the related costs. Around 1,000 US troops have rotated through the country since 2014, and their presence was reduced this summer.
Kaliningrad warnings
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Vladimir Putin had made Russia's response to an attack on Kaliningrad clear. At the Valdai forum Putin said the use of all available weapons would immediately be on the agenda in that case. Russian military expert Alexander Stepanov told TASS that Russia would preemptively target such infrastructure if weapons were deployed.