Lithuania Responded to Kremlin Threats of Nuclear Weapons

Lithuanian politicians rejected the Kremlin’s threats after statements by the Kremlin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov and Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian Security Council, regarding the possible deployment of nuclear weapons in the country. In Vilnius, such statements are seen as an attempt at political and psychological pressure that should not influence the state’s decisions.

Deputy head of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense Laurynas Kaščiūnas called the Kremlin representative’s words a tool of political and psychological pressure. According to him, such Kremlin tactics are not new, and changing the constitutional norm in itself will not alter Lithuania’s status from Moscow’s point of view. Member of the parliamentary committee Dainius Gaizauskas also stated that Lithuania became a potential target for Russia even after joining NATO. In his view, Kremlin warnings are addressed not only to Vilnius but also intended to intimidate the populations of Alliance countries and demonstrate the possibility of pressure on the West. He added that abolishing the constitutional ban, in his view, is necessary for Lithuania to fully utilize the defense capabilities provided by NATO. Otherwise the country risks becoming a weak link in the Alliance. At the same time, the key Lithuanian politicians’ answer to the Kremlin is that Lithuania is already among Russia’s potential targets due to its NATO membership, and therefore Moscow’s threats should not determine the country’s decisions about its own security.

Context of the politicians’ reaction Lithuania’s response In winter Lithuania may amend the Constitution to allow deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory. As early as summer, Lithuania’s president Gitanas Nausėda stated that among the leaders of parliamentary parties there exists “practically unanimous” support for scrapping the ban on nuclear weapons in the country. On the eve, Dmitry Medvedev threatened Lithuania with consequences in case of any weapons deployment on its territory, including nuclear weapons. He stated that in case of Russian response NATO allegedly would not come to the country’s defense. Because of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and Trump’s constant drift away from NATO, European countries are considering various means of nuclear defense. For example, at the end of June 2026 year, the President of Finland Alexander Stubb officially signed amendments to the Nuclear Energy Act. This step fully allowed the import, transit, and storage of nuclear weapons on the country’s territory as part of its integration into NATO’s defense system. Poland and France began concrete negotiations on the “nuclear umbrella.” The sides held the first meeting of a special coordinating group.