Lithuania Moves to Allow Nuclear Weapons as Russia Threatens Finland

Lithuania is moving toward removing its constitutional ban on nuclear weapons and foreign military bases, with President Gitanas Nausėda arguing that the existing restrictions no longer reflect the current security environment. The proposal comes as Finland formally ended its own long-standing nuclear-related restrictions on Wednesday, a move that has already triggered sharp rhetoric from Moscow.

According to Nausėda, Lithuania’s Article 137, which prohibits the deployment of weapons of mass destruction and the establishment of foreign military bases on national territory, was drafted under a very different geopolitical reality. He said political leaders now broadly agree that the provision is “outdated” and “obsolete,” as reported by national broadcaster LRT.

“The geopolitical situation is getting worse. Our constitution was written when geopolitical circumstances were totally different,” Nausėda said, explaining the rationale behind the planned constitutional revision.

Lithuania currently hosts a NATO multinational battlegroup that includes up to 5,000 German troops, reflecting its position on the alliance’s eastern flank. At the same time, the country faces proximity to Russia’s nuclear-capable assets stationed in Kaliningrad and to Belarus, described as Moscow’s closest regional ally.

With political agreement already forming in principle, Lithuanian leaders are now debating how the constitutional change should be carried out, either through a parliamentary procedure similar to Finland’s approach or through a national referendum.

Finland’s recent policy shift allows the country to host, transport, and facilitate nuclear weapons as part of allied defense arrangements. The decision coincides with broader NATO integration steps, including plans involving Lockheed Martin to establish Europe’s first maintenance center for multiple launch rocket systems in Tampere.

The move has drawn a hostile reaction from Russian officials. Aleksey Zhuravlyov, first deputy chair of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee, accused Finland of turning into “a second Ukraine” and warned that Moscow had the capability to “destroy half the country.”