The Kremlin threatens Lithuania with a nuclear response if this Baltic country allows the placement of Western nuclear weapons on its territory.
The warning was issued by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, while the Parliament in Vilnius is considering removing the constitutional ban on hosting nuclear weapons.
"If nuclear weapons aimed at us are placed on Lithuanian territory, then the territory of this country will also come under the scope of our nuclear weapons," Peskov stated, as quoted by the Russian agency RIA and Reuters.
He argued that such a decision would represent "a very serious turn in escalating tensions."
Lithuania, a NATO and EU member, aims to lift the constitutional ban on the placement of nuclear weapons and foreign military bases on its territory by the end of the year. The amendment must be approved by a two-thirds majority in two separate votes in Parliament.
President Gitanas Nausėda and the main parliamentary parties support the change. However, Lithuanian authorities state that there is currently no concrete plan to bring nuclear weapons into the country. Removing the ban would allow Vilnius to respond if the security situation deteriorates.
Lithuania shares borders with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the country has bolstered its defense and is preparing the necessary infrastructure for the German brigade that is set to be permanently stationed there from 2027, according to Reuters.