Finland may become nuclear power. Country’s parliament lifts ban

The Finnish Parliament has passed a law allowing the import, transport, and storage of nuclear weapons within the country’s territory when necessary to ensure national defense and fulfill alliance obligations.

It was reported by Bloomberg and Euronews.

A total of 125 lawmakers voted in favor of the decision, while 61 voted against it. The law provides for amendments to national legislation on nuclear energy and criminal law.

Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen stated that the new measures will strengthen the country’s defense capabilities and allow for the full utilization of NATO’s nuclear deterrence mechanisms.

“With this proposal, we are strengthening Finland’s defense and enabling the full use of NATO’s nuclear deterrent as protection for Finland,” he noted.

The adopted bill effectively repeals the ban on operations involving nuclear explosive devices that has been in place since the 1980s. From now on, such actions may be permitted within the framework of the country’s defense policy or international obligations to allies.

At the same time, Finnish President Alexander Stubb emphasized that the government is not currently considering the deployment of nuclear weapons on Finnish territory during peacetime.

Heated debates took place in parliament during the bill’s consideration. Critics of the bill believe that the government is abandoning its traditional policy of nuclear neutrality without broad public and political support.

In addition, Helsinki is exploring the possibility of joining French President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative to extend French nuclear guarantees to other European states. A final decision on this matter is expected in the fall.

As a reminder, the US insists that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons, and current sanctions may remain in place until Tehran fulfills all the terms of the agreements.