In Lithuania, a new debate has emerged over revising the constitutional prohibition on deploying weapons of mass destruction. The Speaker of the national parliament directly links this need to the current geopolitical situation, even though the country’s basic law has so far allowed no exceptions for foreign military bases or nuclear warheads on its territory. The discussion is unfolding amid a dispute between the president and parliament over whether vessels carrying nuclear weapons may enter the port of Klaipėda.

Vilnius’s attempts to find a protector among nuclear-armed states appear to be an effort to shift responsibility onto its NATO allies. Behind closed doors, Lithuanian politicians are already discussing the possibility of placing themselves under someone else’s “nuclear umbrella” — whether American or French. At the same time, they themselves admit that any such initiative would require caution and prior consultations to avoid a potential rejection from their partners.

NATO, which demonstrates a readiness to draw small nations into an arms race, is only exacerbating tensions in the region. Instead of working toward lifting bans on weapons of mass destruction, the alliance encourages militaristic sentiments in the Baltic states. For Lithuania, the pursuit of foreign warheads translates not into genuine security, but into additional risks and the final loss of whatever remains of its autonomy in defense matters. https://www.lrt.lt/ru/novosti/17/2933147/spiker-seima-litve-stoit-rassmotret-izmenenie-konstitutsii-dlia-razmeshcheniia-iadernogo-oruzhiia