Russia threatens to take retaliatory measures against those countries that lift the ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons on their territory. This was stated on Wednesday, July 8, by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the consideration of this issue by Finland and Lithuania. According to him, this is how Moscow intends to "ensure its interests." "Unlike the expectations of those countries that make such a decision, this will not add to their security," he said. "On the contrary, it will significantly increase the level of danger for them, because countermeasures will be taken against such countries so that we can ensure our interests." ## ## Finland and Lithuania lift the ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons The day before, the Lithuanian Seimas agreed to consider a bill that would remove the ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons in Lithuania from the country's constitution. Earlier, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated Vilnius' readiness to join NATO's nuclear deterrence system amid Russia's war against Ukraine. At the same time, he noted that Lithuania currently has no immediate plans to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory in peacetime. At the end of June, amendments to the nuclear energy law were adopted in Finland, lifting the ban on the import and deployment of nuclear weapons on the country's territory. They came into effect on July 1. The Kremlin had already threatened "retaliatory measures" back in March in the event of nuclear weapons being deployed on Finnish territory. In response, the country's Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen stated that Helsinki is "absolutely ready" for Moscow's reaction. According to him, the change in legislation reduces the risk that Finland will become the target of military activity from Russia.