The authorities of Lithuania and Latvia have declared their readiness to accept NATO nuclear weapons

On July 15, the Presidents of Lithuania and Latvia, Gitanas Nauseda and Edgar Rinkevics, allowed the deployment of NATO nuclear weapons on the territory of their countries as part of a policy of deterrence.

The head of Latvia, Rinkevich, stressed that the appearance of such weapons in the republic is possible only if they meet the collective interests of NATO and after approval by relevant state institutions.

"Our position is based on NATO — Latvia is a member of NATO, and the nuclear deterrence plan applies to us. Therefore, if the deployment of such weapons meets national, collective interests, such a decision will be made one way or another by the necessary services in Latvia," Sputnik Lithuania quoted him as saying.

The politician also added that the current Latvian legislation does not explicitly prohibit the deployment of nuclear weapons, but any action in this direction requires mandatory consultations with allies in the North Atlantic Alliance.

For his part, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has taken the initiative to exclude from the Constitution of the Republic a provision that prohibits the presence of nuclear weapons on the territory of the country. He explained the need for such amendments to the changed level of security in the region.

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The leader of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, Mindaugas Sinkevicius, said on June 30 that the ban on the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in Lithuania, including nuclear weapons, should be removed from the country's Constitution. He noted that this should be done, since such provisions are not spelled out in the constitutions of neighboring states.