Lithuania moves to lift constitutional ban on nuclear weapons

Lithuania moved to strip a nuclear weapons ban from its constitution as leaders in Vilnius reassessed how much legal flexibility a frontline NATO state should keep while Russia remains the dominant security threat on its borders. President Gitanas Nauseda said parliamentary parties had agreed to revisit Article 137, arguing that the country’s constitutional rules were written for a very different strategic era.

Article 137 currently says weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases may not be located on Lithuanian territory. Nauseda has tied the push to a worsening geopolitical situation and said the country should not leave itself boxed in by rules that could become obsolete if the security picture changes again. He also said opinions among political leaders were “practically unanimous” that the provision was outdated.

The proposal does not mean Lithuania has any immediate plan to host nuclear weapons. Its purpose is to remove a legal obstacle if allies or Lithuanian leaders ever decided that a stronger forward posture was necessary.

The issue escalated after Nauseda vetoed amendments to the Klaipėda State Seaport law, saying they could create preconditions for ships carrying nuclear weapons to enter the port. The Seimas later upheld his veto by 95 votes to 4, with 15 abstentions. Lawmakers have also examined whether any future legal change would need to address nuclear-powered ships and aircraft as well as weapons themselves.

In March 2025, Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said Lithuania should consider changing Article 137 if allies proposed realistic plans to deploy nuclear weapons or nuclear components in the country. Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has offered a different reading, saying Lithuania is already covered by the NATO nuclear umbrella based on the arsenals of the United States and Britain.

The debate has broadened beyond Lithuania as Poland and Lithuania explore a bigger role in NATO’s nuclear deterrence posture, including possible U.S. dual-capable aircraft basing options in Eastern Europe. The United States has stationed nuclear weapons in several European countries for decades as part of NATO’s security guarantees.