Finnish president rules out ‘peacetime’ nuclear weapons as law debate grows

BRUSSELS

Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland, on Friday emphasized that the country has no plans to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory, amid discussions over changes to its nuclear weapons legislation.

Speaking at a press conference at the Presidential Palace, Stubb said the government and the presidency intend to remove existing restrictions from legislation while preparing a political declaration confirming that nuclear weapons will not be present in Finland during peacetime.

Current Finnish law, adopted in 1987, bans the import, transport, possession, manufacture and detonation of nuclear weapons on Finnish territory.

The government wants to remove that blanket ban to align Finland’s legislation with its membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

“No one has suggested that Finland should bring nuclear weapons onto its soil or transport nuclear weapons during peacetime. And this is the basic principle that we certainly adhere to,” Stubb said, according to the daily Helsingin Sanomat.

Stubb stressed that the starting points for nuclear weapons policy are the country’s security and NATO membership.

“Finland’s deterrence is the same as NATO’s deterrence,” he said.

Stubb said recent discussions with Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, indicated that France is willing to extend its nuclear umbrella to other nations.

However, he clarified that Finland has not established any official path toward nuclear weapons sharing.

The remarks follow a government initiative to update the foreign and security policy report, which would remove legislative restrictions on nuclear weapons while reaffirming Finland’s peacetime stance.

The main opposition party, the Social Democratic Party of Finland, has said it will vote against the bill, arguing that Finland should remain cautious about nuclear weapons.

Petteri Orpo, the country’s prime minister, said the measures are intended to clarify Finland’s nuclear weapons policy without contradicting its commitment to NATO and international obligations.