Finland open to discussing French nuclear umbrella for Europe

Finland is interested in discussing the possibility of extending France’s nuclear deterrent to Europe as a whole, Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has said.

Speaking to Japan’s news agency, Valtonen said Helsinki was open to long-term discussions on using France’s nuclear arsenal as part of European deterrence.

“Unfortunately, nuclear weapons still exist in the world, and as long as they do, NATO, as a defensive alliance, uses nuclear deterrence,” she said.

Valtonen stressed that Finland did not intend to host nuclear weapons, despite recent changes to national legislation allowing the import and storage of nuclear material.

“This does not mean that Finland will store any nuclear weapons; obviously, Finland is not a nuclear power,” she said.

The comments come after French President Emmanuel Macron outlined plans for France to move towards what he described as “advanced deterrence”. The concept would include joint exercises with partner countries and potentially deploying elements of France’s strategic forces in other European countries.

Macron has also announced plans to increase France’s nuclear arsenal, while saying Paris would no longer disclose the precise number of its nuclear warheads.

By Aghakazim Guliyev