Lithuania is seeking to host nuclear weapons on its territory to avoid a fate similar to Ukraine’s following the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda aims to amend the constitution to lift the ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons in Lithuania.
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz “respectfully took note of this”. The CDU politician made this remark after a meeting with the heads of state and government of the Baltic countries in Berlin.
Positions of Germany and Lithuania
Merz explained that this is “first and foremost a political decision by Lithuania. But it also shows how seriously the threat from Russia is taken in this country and how ready the country is to defend itself in this context”. He added, “I not only do not criticize this, but also respectfully take note of Lithuania’s willingness to defend the country and thus NATO territory”.
Nausėda emphasized that it is about “my country’s goal to use all possibilities of nuclear deterrence”. The president stated in Berlin: “And we (…) want to be an integral part of this nuclear deterrence”. To this end, he intends to remove all legal obstacles. Nausėda stressed that Lithuania’s efforts “have nothing to do with aggressive actions or provoking escalation”.
Geographical and defense context
There are currently no concrete plans for the deployment of nuclear weapons in Lithuania. Lithuania shares borders with the Russian Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad and Russia’s ally Belarus, whose territory is viewed as a potential launch point for Russian troops. In Kaliningrad, Moscow has reportedly deployed, among other things, Iskander missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
According to unofficial data, as part of NATO’s nuclear deterrence, American nuclear weapons are currently stationed in five member countries: Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Turkey. Additionally, the United Kingdom and France possess their own nuclear arsenals. Unlike Lithuania, none of these seven countries share a border with Russia.
Poland has also expressed interest in joining NATO’s nuclear deterrence and is in negotiations with the USA. Like Lithuania, Poland borders Russia’s Kaliningrad region.
Source: Der Spiegel
