Seimas Votes 106 to 18 in the First Reading to Delete Article 137, Lithuania's Ban on Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Bases
Vilnius, 6 October 2026
Key points
- The Seimas passed the amendment deleting Article 137 of the Constitution in its first vote on 6 October, 106 for, 18 against and six abstentions; at least 94 of the 141 members are needed at each of two votes at least three months apart, and the final vote is planned for 12 January 2027
- Article 137 bars weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases from Lithuanian territory; the amendment, drafted by the speaker, Juozas Olekas, deletes both
- Fourteen members of Nemunas Dawn voted against and two abstained; the party proposes a referendum instead
- The motion to take up the amendment passed 99 to 13 on 22 September
Lithuania's parliament has cleared the first of two binding votes to delete its constitutional ban on nuclear weapons and foreign bases, with twelve votes to spare.
Laurynas Kasčiūnas, leader of the opposition Homeland Union, said: "Since nuclear deterrence is the queen of all deterrence, this decision is strategically important," and, as BNS reported him, "with the current restriction, we cannot fully participate in NATO's nuclear deterrence plans." Robertas Kaunas, the defence minister: "Today we are not talking about any deployment or redeployment," and "if Russia had not started the war in Ukraine, we probably would not be having such discussions." Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesman, called the vote "another very significant escalation".
The base clause, as Signal No. 161 noted, is the one deployments have already overtaken: Germany's Panzerbrigade 45 is in place, and two US battalions are due by the end of October, with a Lithuanian proposal for a permanent US base before the Pentagon. The nuclear clause is the one the speeches were about.
The case was made in NATO's terms, but the one route a repeal has opened for a neighbour so far is France's. Finland's parliament repealed its statutory ban on nuclear explosive devices on 17 June, 125 to 61, and on 14 September Finland joined France's deterrence initiative as the tenth partner, under terms that exclude NATO-style obligations, any share of the cost and an alternative umbrella, and list the temporary deployment of French strategic air forces among the forms. On 23 September Andris Kulbergs, since asked to form Latvia's government, said Emmanuel Macron had agreed to open talks on Latvia joining. NATO has announced no role for Lithuania in its own arrangements, and the minister says none is being discussed. The test before 12 January is whether Vilnius asks Paris for the talks Riga has, or NATO names a task the deleted clause was blocking.
Related · Lithuania's Article 137
- Seimas Votes 99 to 13 to Proceed With Deleting Article 137, Lithuania's Constitutional Ban on Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Bases
- Lithuania Moves to Strip Its Constitutional Ban on Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Military Bases
- Finland Joins France's Nuclear-Deterrence Initiative as the Tenth Partner — Temporary French Strategic Air Force Deployments
- Two US Battalions to Lithuania by the End of October — One Heavy, With Abrams, One Engineer, About a Thousand Soldiers for Nine Months
