Finland is planning to lift its decades-old prohibition on hosting nuclear weapons on its territory. The government states this action is intended to align the nation more closely with NATO's deterrence policy.
Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen indicated that Finland and Europe's security landscape has "fundamentally and significantly changed" since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Finland joined NATO in 2023, abandoning its prior stance of military neutrality due to concerns over Russian threats.
Currently, Finland's 1987 Nuclear Energy Act prohibits nuclear explosives on its soil, even during wartime. The proposed amendment would permit "bringing a nuclear weapon into Finland, or to transport, deliver or possess one in Finland, if it is connected to the military defence of Finland." Häkkänen emphasized the necessity of this change for Finland's military defense within the alliance and to fully leverage NATO's collective defense.
The proposal, which requires amendments to the Nuclear Energy Act and the criminal code, is open for consultation until April 2. Finland shares a long border with Russia and has voiced increasing security concerns since the Ukraine invasion.