MOSCOW – The possible deployment of a NATO military base and nuclear weapons in Lithuania would further escalate tensions, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

"Both of these things will not contribute to stability and predictability on the European continent. On the contrary, they will become another significant round in the escalation of tensions," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

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A constitutional amendment to lift a ban on weapons of mass destruction, potentially opening the way for stationing NATO nuclear weapons in Lithuania, passed the first reading in the Lithuanian parliament earlier Tuesday. A final vote on the amendment has been scheduled for Jan 12, 2027.

Peskov added that if such deployment occurs, Russia would be forced to take retaliatory measures to ensure its national security.