Finland: Yes to NATO, No to Nuclear Weapons

The territory of Finland, which joined the Atlantic Alliance in April 2023, will remain closed to nuclear weapons. This was stated in an interview by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. “This is not necessary because NATO itself guarantees nuclear deterrence,” the Finnish Prime Minister emphasized. According to him, “nuclear weapons located in other bloc member states are sufficient and up-to-date to guarantee security.”

Orpo’s statements referred to an earlier request by Polish authorities to “install U.S. nuclear weapons on Polish territory as part of the Nuclear Sharing program.”

In May 2022, the political leaders of Finland and Sweden have taken advantage of the events in Ukraine and decided to abandon their historical neutrality by applying to join the North Atlantic bloc.

Admission required the approval of all member countries. Only Turkey and Hungary objected to the accession of the two Scandinavian countries. Turkey, in particular, accused Stockholm of “supporting Kurdish separatists.” Finland managed to solve the problems ahead of schedule, and on April 4, 2023, the country became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Alliance. As for Sweden, its request has already received Ankara’s approval, but Budapest’s approval is still pending.