Finland said on Thursday it sought to revoke a ban on foreign nuclear arms deployment.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said at a press conference that the move is needed to fulfill NATO’s collective defense, with the Nordic nation having joined the alliance in 2023 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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“The amendment is necessary to enable Finland’s military defense as part of the alliance and to take full advantage of NATO’s deterrence and collective defense,” Hakkanen said, according to Reuters.
Reuters said the plan to revoke the nuclear ban will be decided by the Finnish parliament, with a right-wing coalition majority.
Finland’s 1987 Nuclear Energy Act bans the import, manufacture, possession, and detonation of nuclear explosives on its soil, a restriction some Finns argue would benefit Russia in wartime, according to Reuters.
Finland shares a border with Russia, with reports of Russian military buildup along the Finnish border surfacing in May 2025. Moscow later announced plans to fortify the 1,300-km-long (808 miles) border, including a revamped Soviet-era garrison about 160 kilometers (99 miles) from the border.
Helsinki’s latest decision also comes as Europe explores collective nuclear deterrence in the face of dwindling US support and deteriorating global security.
In 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron said France was ready to discuss deploying French aircraft carrying nuclear weapons in other European countries. He revisited the ideas intermittently, including in February 2026 when he said he was considering a doctrine that could include “special cooperation, joint exercises, and shared security interests with certain key countries.”
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