Lithuania considers lifting constitutional ban on nuclear weapons
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has said that nearly all leaders of parliamentary factions agree that the constitutional provision banning the deployment of nuclear weapons on Lithuanian territory is outdated and should be repealed.
LRT sated this in an article, CE Report quotes Ukrinform.
On Thursday morning, Lithuania's top officials, including the president, the leadership of the Seimas, the government, and the heads of parliamentary factions, met at the Presidential Office to discuss the constitutional provision prohibiting the deployment of nuclear weapons in the country.
Under Lithuania's Constitution, weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases may not be stationed on the country's territory.
Following the meeting, Nausėda said the Constitution should be amended because the geopolitical situation continues to deteriorate. He also noted that the Constitution had been adopted under a completely different geopolitical environment.
"This is an absolute ban that provides for no exceptions. As a result, Lithuania is effectively the only NATO member state that has imposed such a restriction on itself. We certainly need to take this into account," Nausėda said.
He also noted that Finland, where a similar restriction had been established by law, has already lifted its ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons.
"Today, Lithuania has found itself in a kind of gray zone within NATO itself. It would be unfortunate if we became the weak link or a gray zone within the Alliance," Nausėda said.
According to the Lithuanian president, the positions of the parliamentary faction leaders largely coincided, with nearly all of them agreeing that the constitutional provision is outdated and should be removed. Nausėda believes the amendment could be adopted by the Seimas through a parliamentary vote, as holding a referendum would take too much time.
"We concluded that this is precisely the moment when both the Seimas and its speaker can demonstrate the leadership that is needed," Nausėda said.
The report notes that the proposal to amend Lithuania's Constitution is also supported by part of the opposition. At the same time, representatives of the Nemunas Dawn party and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union expressed greater skepticism about the initiative.
To amend Lithuania's Constitution, the proposal must be approved twice by at least 94 of the 141 members of the Seimas, with a three-month interval between the votes.
As previously reported, Lithuania is holding talks with the United States on the potential deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons on its territory.
Photo: X
