Gitanas Nauseda, Lithuania’s president, at a European Council assembly in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
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Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Thursday stated the Baltic nation’s prime political leaders had agreed {that a} constitutional ban on the home deployment of nuclear weapons ought to be eliminated.
The choice comes shortly after lawmakers in Finland, one other NATO member that shares a border with Russia, voted to carry its longstanding ban on nuclear weapons.
Talking to reporters shortly after the choice, Nauseda stated Article 137 of Lithuania’s structure had change into “outdated” and “out of date,” in keeping with a report from state broadcaster LRT.
He added that parliamentary and authorities leaders have been “virtually unanimous” of their help for eradicating the coverage — versus amending it — and that it might have been “really unlucky” if Lithuania had change into the weak hyperlink inside NATO.
Lithuania’s Article 137 had explicitly prohibited the deployment of weapons of mass destruction and the institution of international army bases on Lithuanian territory.
“The geopolitical state of affairs is getting worse. Our structure was written when geopolitical circumstances have been completely completely different,” Nauseda stated, in keeping with Reuters.
The removing of the supply means Vilnius can adapt to evolving safety circumstances sooner or later, Nauseda stated. He added, nonetheless, that there have been no quick plans to retailer nuclear weapons within the nation.
Lithuania, which borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, has been one in all Ukraine’s staunchest allies throughout Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s greater than four-year battle with Kyiv, offering intensive army tools and monetary help.
NATO’s japanese flank
The Monetary Occasions reported final month, citing three unnamed sources briefed on discussions, that the U.S. was in talks to safe new nuclear-capable deployments in Europe.
The report stated nations on NATO’s japanese flank, akin to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, have been fascinated with doubtlessly internet hosting bases for so-called U.S. dual-capable plane (DCA), that are in a position to ship nuclear strikes.
The German Air Pressure participated within the ‘Freedom Defend 26’ train throughout Media Day on June 20, 2026, close to Pabradė, Lithuania. Roughly 2,900 troopers from eight NATO member states are collaborating in these workout routines, which is able to final a number of weeks.
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Russia on Thursday launched a large-scale missile and drone assault in opposition to Ukraine, focusing on army, gasoline and vitality complexes in Kyiv and different areas throughout the nation.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated by way of Telegram that there had been at the least 13 deaths in Ukraine’s capital following the assaults, with July 3 declared as a day of mourning for the town.
A few of Russia’s neighbors took emergency measures in response to the assault. Finland quickly imposed an “aviation restriction zone” within the japanese Gulf of the nation, whereas Poland scrambled fighter jets in what it stated was a preventative measure.
NATO leaders are attributable to meet in Ankara, Turkey on July 7-8 to debate regional safety and set out a roadmap to ship on the alliance’s key aims.
