The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, convened for its fall session yesterday, and one of the items on its agenda is the repeal of the Constitutional prohibition on nuclear weapons on Lithuanian territory, along with approval of an updated National Security Strategy, reported LRT.

Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas explained that, in order to “adopt this specific article of the Constitution,” it will be necessary to extend the fall parliamentary session slightly—possibly until January 13, 2027. According to Olekas, because of this constitutional restriction, Lithuania “stands out like a sore thumb in the context of NATO.”

TASS adds that the Seimas must vote on the constitutional amendment twice, with a three-month interval between votes. The amendment must be supported by a qualified majority—94 lawmakers out of 141.

TASS also noted that Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov had warned earlier that the desire of the Baltic states, including Lithuania, to station nuclear weapons on their territory will in no way make the region safer. On the contrary, Peskov emphasized, such a decision would force Russia to take countermeasures to ensure its own security.