Russia warns Lithuania would become nuclear target if weapons deployed

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has commented on plans to lift the constitutional ban on nuclear weapons in Lithuania.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Peskov told Pervy Kanal that such a move was expected.

“If you deploy nuclear weapons on your territory, they must be directed against someone. Apparently, these weapons will not be directed against the West, but against the East — that is, against us,” Peskov said.

He added that the territory of any country deploying nuclear weapons against Russia would become a target for Russian nuclear weapons.

Lithuania is a NATO member, while the alliance maintains a policy of nuclear deterrence. Any decision concerning the deployment of nuclear weapons in Lithuania would have major security implications for the Baltic region and wider Europe.