Russia warns Lithuania against possible NATO base, nuclear weapons deployment

The possible deployment of a NATO military base and nuclear weapons in Lithuania would further escalate tensions, and Russia would be forced to take retaliatory measures to ensure its national security, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

His comments came after Lithuania's parliament, the Seimas, earlier in the day backed a constitutional amendment to lift the prohibition on deploying weapons of mass destruction on its territory, potentially opening the way for NATO nuclear weapons to be stationed in the Baltic state.

The amendment passed its first reading in the parliament on Tuesday with 106 lawmakers in favor, 18 against and six abstaining.

A final vote cannot be held for at least three months and will require the backing of at least 94 of the parliament's 141 members. Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas said the final vote is expected on Jan. 12, 2027.

Lithuania's constitution bars weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases on its territory. The proposed amendment lifts the restriction on such weapons while leaving the prohibition on foreign military bases intact.

Following U.S. President Donald Trump's statement that the United States was considering establishing a permanent military base in Lithuania, the country's Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said it stood ready to cover the costs of such a presence.

Lithuania is not the only NATO state reinforcing the alliance's eastern flank. On the same day, Sweden announced that it would deploy its most advanced air defense system, the Patriot, along with around 100 military personnel to Rzeszow in southeastern Poland, marking another possible NATO deployment in a Russian neighbor.

The Swedish government said the operation would begin on Dec. 1 and could last up to seven months, with the troops protecting a key military logistics hub from missile and drone attacks.

Sofia Westermark, commander of the Swedish Air Defense Regiment, described the mission as the most complex military operation the country has undertaken since joining the alliance, stressing that amid heightened tensions on NATO's eastern flank, the hub faces potential threats from both the ground and the air.

Russia warns Lithuania against possible NATO base, nuclear weapons deployment

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Alexander De Croo has expressed concern regarding Tuesday's drone attacks on two merchant ships in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria, citing global food insecurity, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a daily press briefing.

At around 15:00 on Tuesday, the two merchant ships were attacked with sea and air drones around 70 nautical miles east of the town of Byala in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at the beginning of a meeting with representatives of the Bulgarian institutions.

The first ship, flying the flag of Togo, has sunk, while the second one, loaded with wheat, was on fire, Radev said, adding the 18-member crew on the second ship managed to evacuate and was rescued.

"The UN Administrator for the UNDP, Alexander De Croo, expressed concern on today's attacks on grain-carrying vessels in the Black Sea, stressing that the Black Sea is a vital route for global food supplies. Noting that these attacks violate international law and endanger crews, the administrator warned that the consequences of these attacks reach far beyond the region, deepening food insecurity and undermining development where millions already face hunger, stressing that the world's most vulnerable must not pay the price and food must never be a target," Dujarric said.

The UNDP will publish a detailed policy brief this week that looks into the development impact of the compounding crisis, the spokesman added.

On the same day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a social media post that the situation in the Black Sea is increasingly concerning.

Noting commercial ships and innocent crews are being targeted, she stressed that attacks on civilian shipping are unacceptable.

UN voices food security concern after drones attack two merchant ships in Black Sea