On July 2, Lithuanian President Naussida said all parties in parliament had agreed to lift constitutional bans on nuclear weapons and foreign military bases, Reuters reported.
It is reported that the major legislative changes need to go through two parliamentary votes, and get a two-thirds majority to pass. If successful, the ban will be lifted after more than 30 years. The geopolitical situation“Is deteriorating,” Naussida explained. “Our Constitution was written at a time when the geopolitical situation was very different.”
The move by the Lithuanian government has caused alarm. The Lithuanian website“Alfa” reported that Remigius zemetidis, chairman of the Nieman Dawn party, said, “I just want to say, this is a nuclear weapon, think about the consequences.” He stressed, changes related to nuclear weapons must be put to a referendum or discussed seeking a nuclear umbrella, but the consequences must be carefully assessed.
As a member of NATO, Lithuania shares borders with Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. Lithuania’s defence spending has tripled since the Russo-ukrainian conflict broke out in 2022. The country is now upgrading its armed forces and strengthening its border defences. RIA Novosti said Russia had repeatedly said that NATO was expanding its presence near its western border as never before, calling it a“Deterrent to Russian aggression.”. Russia also said it would not ignore actions that could jeopardize its own interests.