Lithuanian defense minister backs lifting constitutional ban on nukes deployment

VILNIUS, July 2. /TASS/. Lithuania's Ministry of National Defense supports removing the constitutional ban on deploying weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear arms, on the country's territory, Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said.

He noted that NATO, of which Lithuania is a member, possesses nuclear forces "for both defense and deterrence."

"Lithuania is virtually the only NATO country that prohibits nuclear weapons," he said in an interview with Ziniu Radijas. "This prevents us from making full use of the alliance's defense capabilities, which is why I support repealing the relevant article of the Constitution."

Earlier this week, Prime Minister-designate Mindaugas Sinkevicius expressed the same position, citing "considerations of political correctness."

At the end of May, Lithuania's Seimas (parliament) upheld President Gitanas Nauseda's veto on allowing vessels carrying nuclear weapons to enter the State Seaport of Klaipeda. As the president noted, Article 137 of Lithuania's Constitution unequivocally prohibits the presence of weapons of mass destruction on the country's territory.