The Lithuanian Seimas Committee on Law and Law Enforcement approved an initiative to remove Article 137 from the Constitution, which prohibits the deployment on the country’s territory of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, as well as military bases of other states. Seven members of the committee voted for the proposal, two against.
The committee’s decision does not mean the immediate appearance of nuclear weapons in Lithuania. For the amendments to enter into force, they must pass further consideration and a vote by the full Seimas, after which the document must be signed by the country’s president.
Article 137 of the Lithuanian Constitution, in its current wording, prohibits the deployment on Lithuanian territory of weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases. The proposed changes provide for the removal of this norm, which would theoretically remove the constitutional restriction on the possible deployment of NATO allies’ armaments.
The initiative was presented in parliament in July, when the Seimas supported it at the first stage of consideration. The decision of the relevant committee became the next step in the procedure for amending the fundamental law.
Supporters of the changes believe that repealing the ban will expand Lithuania’s capabilities in the field of NATO collective defense and strengthen deterrence against Russia. According to the speaker of the Seimas, if the current constitutional restriction is maintained, Lithuania looks like a “black sheep” within the alliance.
The authors of the initiative also point out that the decision on the actual deployment of any armament is not taken automatically after the repeal of the article. This will require separate political agreements between Lithuania and its allies and corresponding NATO decisions.
Lithuania has been a NATO member since 2004 and in recent years has consistently expanded military cooperation with its allies. NATO forward presence forces are already stationed on its territory, and alliance exercises are held regularly.
The discussion on revising Article 137 is taking place against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between Russia and NATO and growing concern among the Baltic states about regional security. At the same time, no official announcements have been made either about NATO plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Lithuania or about specific timelines for such a decision.
Thus, the amendments backed by the committee, while opening a legal possibility for future decisions, are not in themselves a decision on the deployment of nuclear munitions in Lithuania.
