NATO Nuclear Expansion Sparks Russian Threats Across Europe

European nuclear tensions escalated sharply as multiple NATO states moved toward hosting allied nuclear weapons and France unveiled a new forward deterrence strategy, drawing immediate Russian threats of retaliation. Lithuania initiated discussions to amend its Constitution, which currently bans weapons of mass destruction under Article 137, to permit the deployment of NATO nuclear weapons on its soil. Speaker of Parliament Juozas Olekas and President Gitanas Nausėda both endorsed the debate as a proportional deterrent against Russian aggression. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys went further, asserting that NATO must demonstrate its capability to invade the Kaliningrad exclave and neutralize Russian air defenses.

Russian Senator Alexander Shenderyuk-Zhidkov responded that any attack on Kaliningrad would trigger unprecedented escalation affecting Washington, London, and Paris. Separately, NATO confirmed that Romanian F-16s operating from Lithuania intercepted and shot down a drone in Estonian airspace.

The Lithuanian moves coincided with France's announcement of a forward nuclear deterrence strategy aimed at expanding the French atomic arsenal and deploying nuclear weapons to other European NATO states. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned that Moscow cannot ignore the buildup of NATO nuclear potential and that nations hosting these weapons will face closer scrutiny from Russian strategic deterrence forces. French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk deepened military cooperation, including potential deployments of nuclear-capable aircraft to Poland and planned joint exercises simulating strikes on Russia and Belarus. Finland also announced plans to amend its legislation to allow hosting nuclear devices for defense purposes, a step the Kremlin warned would further escalate tensions.