Kathrine Frich
He also claimed that NATO would never actually step in to protect smaller members.
Global diplomacy usually moves at a slow pace behind closed doors.
Sometimes, however, a high-ranking official decides to throw out the entire playbook. A fiery new warning aimed at a small European nation has just done exactly that.
A brutal warning
Dmitry Medvedev rarely shies away from extreme rhetoric. The deputy head of the Russian Security Council recently targeted a neighbor with a severe threat.
During a visit to the Northwestern Federal District on September 11, he made his stance clear. He then took to his Max channel to share a chilling prediction according to WP.
In a direct post on the platform, Medvedev stated that “in the event of a military confrontation with Russia, Lithuania could disappear from the world map.”
Dismissing the alliance
The former Russian president also cast deep doubt on Western military guarantees. According to Russian state media, he claimed that NATO would never actually step in to protect smaller members.
He argued that activating the collective defense mechanism would simply be too dangerous for Western leaders.
“If this is activated, it will be a global catastrophe, a catastrophe for the entire planet. They are not stupid. But Lithuania would then disappear from the world map,” he said.
Changing the rules
This fierce rhetoric did not arrive in a vacuum. It follows a major political shift currently unfolding inside the Lithuanian government.
Lawmakers in Vilnius are looking closely at their own constitution, specifically Article 137. For decades, this rule has blocked any weapons of mass destruction from entering the nation.
That strict ban may soon become history. A parliamentary committee recently voted strongly to scrap the nuclear restriction entirely.
Parliamentary Speaker Juozas Olekas defended the legal pivot. He noted that the original rule belonged to a different era and fails to match modern security threats.
Defense plans shift
These internal legal updates tie directly into much larger defense conversations happening across Europe. Lithuania is actively discussing its potential role in NATO nuclear deterrence strategies.
Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas confirmed his country is part of ongoing talks. These complex negotiations explore the idea of expanding American nuclear capabilities to more allied nations.
Even so, Kaunas moved quickly to calm public fears. He stressed that Vilnius has no plans to bring such weapons onto its soil during peacetime.
The minister clarified that these drastic options would only be considered if a major crisis broke out.
Sources: WP, Russian state media, Max
