MOSCOW, July 8 -- The Kremlin on Wednesday warned that any decision by the Baltic states to hosting nuclear weapons would increase security risks in the region rather than strengthen them, saying Russia would respond with countermeasures to protect its national interests.

The warning came after Lithuanian media reported that the country's parliament is considering lifting the constitutional ban on hosting nuclear weapons. The proposal follows Finland's decision to remove its own legislative restrictions on the import and storage of nuclear weapons, a move that has drawn strong criticism from Moscow. According to Lithuanian media reports.

Speaking to reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was closely monitoring developmen...