Medvedev: NATO Will Not Invoke Article 5 if Russia Strikes Lithuania

Dmitry Medvedev, former President and current Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, said Lithuania would “disappear from the map of the world” if it lifts its longstanding nuclear weapons ban. Medvedev made the remarks on Friday, Sept. 11, after Russia had already threatened Vilnius earlier that same day.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The country’s parliamentary parties had agreed to the constitutional amendments in July, while the parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs voted 7-2 on the proposal on Wednesday, paving the way for a final decision early next year. “Lithuania, as I understand it, talked about opening the door for the possible placement of any weapon, including nuclear weapons,” Medvedev said, according to Clash Report. “If God forbid, something like this happens and we have to react to their actions, no one will step in for them,” he continued, adding that NATO would not invoke Article 5 to defend the country as this would mean “a global catastrophe.” Simultaneously, he denied the threat of Russia attacking Europe, despite an increase in Russia’s provocations, including hybrid threats and frequent drone violations of NATO’s airspace. Advancing nuclear ban repeal despite growing threats The lifting of the ban would essentially allow NATO to deploy its nuclear forces on Lithuania’s territory. “The geopolitical situation is getting worse,” Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda told reporters following the meeting with parliament party leaders, in which 50 MPs submitted an amendment to change the law. “Our constitution was written when geopolitical circumstances were totally different,” he continued. Other Topics of Interest Discount Terror: How Putin Gutted Russia’s Premier S-400 Systems Chuck Pfarrer takes apart Russia’s newest weapon of desperation: the modified 48N6 variant of the premier S-400 anti-aircraft system. The move came as Finland decided to lift its own ban just a month earlier, allowing NATO to host and transport nuclear weapons on its territory in crisis situations. Lithuania remains one of Ukraine’s strongest backers in Europe, and it borders Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad to the west and Moscow’s ally Belarus to the south. In June 2023, Russia began deploying nuclear weapons to Belarus. The two countries conducted a joint nuclear war drill in May, centering on use of nuclear weapons and nuclear support operations. Although Belarus continues positioning itself as neutral in Russia’s war against Ukraine, it remains its ally, providing territory and critical components Russia needs for weapons making. In December 2025, Russia deployed its nuclear-capable Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) to Belarus, whose combat use in Ukraine marked the first such use of its kind in history. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.