Olekas says lawmakers back lifting constitutional nuclear weapons ban

Lithuanian Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas says an overwhelming majority of governing and opposition lawmakers support a constitutional amendment removing the ban on weapons of mass destruction from Lithuania’s basic law, LRT reported.

“I spoke with representatives of almost all parliamentary groups. There are individual people who still have one or another doubt, but the absolute majority of both opposition and governing groups actually support these amendments,” Olekas told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday.

Olekas said the change would allow Lithuania to participate fully in the collective defence system and strengthen deterrence. He said nuclear weapons were primarily used for deterrence and that changing Lithuania’s constitutional regulation would make the country safer.

Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Nemunas Dawn party, opposes lifting the ban. He said the change could make Lithuania a primary target and become a cause of conflict rather than an effective deterrent. He also questioned who would decide on the use of nuclear weapons and whether Lithuania would seek changes to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Laurynas Kasčiūnas, leader of the opposition conservatives, supports the proposal. He said Lithuania, like NATO as a whole, was under threat from Russia despite existing restrictions, and argued that nuclear deterrence would provide a strong foundation for the country’s security.

Kasčiūnas said aircraft or ships involved in deterrence operations currently have to avoid Lithuania’s airspace or exclusive economic zone. As a result, he argued, Lithuania did not participate in deterrence and was not protected by the nuclear umbrella.

According to Olekas, the first vote on the proposal is scheduled for October 6, after its consideration stage on Tuesday. A final decision is expected in January, and the parliamentary session would have to be extended for that purpose.

A simple majority of lawmakers attending the sitting is enough to approve the proposal at the consideration stage. To adopt the constitutional amendment, lawmakers would then have to vote twice with a three-month interval. At least 94 of the 141 members of parliament would have to support it.

In early July, the Seimas approved the proposal at its presentation stage to amend Article 137 of the Constitution by removing the provision on the deployment of nuclear weapons in Lithuania. The Constitution currently states that weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases may not be located on Lithuanian territory.

The initial initiative was signed by around 50 lawmakers from almost all parliamentary groups. No member of the opposition Nemunas Dawn party supported it. Debate over the deployment of nuclear weapons has also been encouraged by French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal for a new European nuclear deterrence arrangement under which partner countries could temporarily host French nuclear weapons.