Kremlin warns Lithuania against hosting Western nuclear weapons

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned that Lithuania would be a target if the Baltic nation were to deploy nuclear weapons on its soil. In an interview with a Russian state-controlled television channel, Peskov stated that Russia's nuclear weapons would be aimed eastward at Russia itself, but if Lithuania possessed nuclear weapons pointed at Russia, then Lithuania would itself be in the crosshairs of Russian nuclear weapons.

The scenario, Peskov said, would constitute a "very serious round of escalation and tension." In June 2026, Lithuanian authorities confirmed they were discussing the deployment of nuclear weapons, with the talks reportedly involving American bombers capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Lithuanian law currently prohibits the presence of weapons of mass destruction or foreign military bases on its territory, and officials have expressed readiness to consider amending this ban.

Under a 1997 agreement between Russia and NATO, the North Atlantic Alliance affirmed it has "no intention, no plan and no reason to deploy nuclear weapons on the territory of new members." Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin deployed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. At Meduza, all reporting is conducted by human journalists who meticulously adhere to editorial standards, with AI tools employed strictly to enhance accuracy and efficiency in translation processes.