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Statement by the Permanent Representative of Lithuania to United Nations H.E. Mr. Rytis Paulauskas at the UNGA80 First Committee Cluster I (Nuclear Weapons).

Mister/Madam Chair,

Lithuania fully aligns with the statement of the European Union. The following remarks are in my national capacity.

Given the complex security environment, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) remains, more than ever, the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament architecture. Preserving and strengthening the NPT must remain our shared and urgent priority. The 2026 NPT Review Conference will offer a crucial opportunity to advance this goal.

Chair,

Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation are now seriously threatened, first and foremost, by Russia’s dangerous nuclear rhetoric and by its unjustified and illegal full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. These actions pose grave risks to nuclear safety and security, particularly at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). We have all heard Russia make false claims asserting that the ZNPP is a 'Russian nuclear facility under Russian jurisdiction.

To recall a general principle of law that “illegal act cannot produce legal rights for the benefit of the law-breaker”[1]. Therefore, together with all law-abiding members of the international community, we will continue to call on Russia to cease its aggression and withdraw its troops from Ukraine, including from the ZNPP in line with IAEA and UN resolutions.

We strongly condemn the Belorussia’s complicity in Russia’s war, including in Russia’s strategic intimidation exercise through the announced deployment of Russian nuclear weapons on its territory, which is also inconsistent with the commitments Belarus undertook in the Budapest Memorandum.

Chair,

Lithuania values peace. Our history teaches us the cost of lost freedom. For us, NATO’s nuclear deterrence is a necessity — a vital safeguard against aggression. NATO’s posture has always been fully compliant with the NPT and contributes to stability.

Let us not be misled: the real threats to the NPT come from those who engage in irresponsible rhetoric, expand arsenals opaquely, and develop nuclear weapons and missile programs in violation of international law – not from NATO, whose doctrines remain transparent and consistent for decades.

In conclusion, Lithuania reaffirms its strong commitment to arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation. We hope for tangible progress across all three NPT pillars, so that one day, our collective efforts may focus solely on peaceful nuclear energy.

Thank you, Chair.

[1] Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its twelfth session, A/CN.4/63 (1960), available at https://docs.un.org/en/A/CN.4/63.