MOSCOW (TASS) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the potential deployment of a NATO military base or nuclear weapons in Lithuania would inevitably be seen by Russia as a step toward raising tensions.
Commenting on a vote by Lithuania’s parliament to advance a constitutional amendment that would remove a ban on deploying nuclear weapons on the country’s territory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing that the move cannot be viewed as “anything other than a step toward escalating tensions.”
“Neither of these moves will contribute to stability and predictability on the European continent. On the contrary – and to our regret – they will mark yet another significant escalation of tensions,” Peskov said.
He added that Russia will, consequently, be compelled to take “all necessary measures to guarantee its own security.”
The remarks come as the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, voted earlier Tuesday to advance a constitutional amendment that would remove a ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons on the country’s territory.
According to public broadcaster LRT, the amendment passed its first reading with 106 lawmakers voting in favor, while the final vote for the amendment is scheduled for Jan. 12.
The parliament conducted a vote late last month on amendment, receiving 99-13, with five abstentions, in favor of the proposal.
Peskov also commented on remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump concerning reports of cases of pneumonic plague in Russia, saying it is always good when mutual assistance is offered.
He said Russia’s public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor is providing “comprehensive information” on the situation in the country’s Siberian region of Irkutsk.
Last week, Russian media outlets said Rospotrebnadzor defined the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region as stable amid reports of a person being diagnosed of a “pneumonia of unknown etiology.”
The reports said measures had been taken in connection with the case, which involved an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East. The employee has died.