Lithuania Moves to Lift Nuclear Weapons Ban

Lithuania is preparing to remove its constitutional ban on nuclear weapons, with President Gitanas Nauseda saying there is "near-unanimous" political support for the move.

Nauseda said parliamentary leaders agreed that Article 137, which prohibits nuclear weapons and foreign military bases, is outdated and should be abolished rather than amended.

The proposal comes as Lithuania, a staunch ally of Ukraine and a NATO member since 2004, seeks stronger deterrence measures against neighboring Russia.

Nauseda said lawmakers do not want Lithuania to remain in a "grey zone" within NATO as one of the few alliance members still banning nuclear weapons. Finland scrapped a similar restriction in June.

Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas said Lithuania has the "right, duty and desire" to become a fully equal NATO member, describing nuclear deterrence as the alliance's primary security tool.

The debate follows reports by the Financial Times in June that the United States is discussing the possible deployment of nuclear weapons in additional NATO countries to reassure allies amid concerns over reduced conventional military support.

Under NATO's nuclear-sharing arrangements, US nuclear weapons are currently stored in bases in Britain, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands, while Washington retains exclusive control over their use.