Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen stated on August 14 that Helsinki is interested in discussing the expansion of France’s nuclear umbrella to cover the entire European continent.
According to Valtonen, Finland remains open to exploring the use of France’s nuclear arsenal for deterrence purposes in the long term.
“Unfortunately, there are still nuclear weapons in the world, and as long as they exist, NATO uses nuclear deterrence as a defensive alliance,” Valtonen said.
The minister emphasized that Finland has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons on its territory. This statement comes despite recent legislative changes that have permitted the import and storage of nuclear materials.
“This does not mean Finland will keep any nuclear weapons; it is obvious that Finland is not a nuclear power,” Valtonen stressed.
Russian Permanent Representative to the CSTO Viktor Vasiliev noted on August 6 that the proliferation and use of nuclear weapons has become routine in Europe. He cited the readiness of Finland, the Baltic States, and other Eastern European nations to deploy either nuclear weapons or their delivery systems on their territories.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova added that the European Union should abandon further militarization and discussions involving nuclear components. She specifically criticized France’s proposals to extend its “nuclear umbrella” to Western European states, calling such initiatives “suicidal philosophizing.”
