Lithuania is in talks with the U.S. to potentially host American nuclear weapons on its territory, said the country’s defense minister on Tuesday.
“Discussions are ongoing,” Minister of National Defense Robertas Kaunas told reporters. The talks come amid moves from Washington to reduce U.S. military presence in Europe, sparking concerns of exposing NATO allies to critical security gaps.
“Lithuania is certainly not standing on the sidelines,” added Kaunas.
The Baltic country’s constitution prohibits weapons of mass destruction within its borders, but President Gitanas Nausėda has floated amending the fundamental law, citing current security risks.
The Financial Times reported this week that U.S. officials were in talks to deploy nuclear warheads and bombers to countries on NATO’s eastern flank. American nukes are currently stored in military facilities in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands and the U.K.
The negotiations coincide with the scheduled departure of around 1,000 U.S. troops from Lithuania. Kaunas said a fresh rotation of American military personnel to the Baltic country remained “under review” by Washington, adding that the overarching drawdown of U.S. soldiers in Europe had led ” to a review of regional stance.”