Russia warned on Friday that Finland’s plan to lift a decades-old ban on hosting nuclear weapons would be treated as a direct threat and would prompt a military response from Moscow, sharply escalating rhetoric over a security shift that is reshaping Europe’s strategic landscape.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the proposal amounted to escalation. “This is a statement that leads to an escalation of tensions on the European continent,” he said. “The fact is that by deploying nuclear weapons on its territory, Finland is beginning to threaten us. And if Finland threatens us, we take appropriate measures.”
The Finnish government announced on Thursday that it intends to amend its 1987 Nuclear Energy Act, which currently bans the import, manufacture, possession and detonation of nuclear explosives on Finnish soil, even during wartime. The proposed change would make it possible to bring a nuclear weapon into Finland, or to transport, deliver or possess one there, if connected to the military defence of Finland.
Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said the amendment was necessary to enable Finland to fully participate in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nuclear planning and deterrence. He described the shift as a direct consequence of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb sought to clarify the scope of the proposal during a visit to India, saying the move did not reflect any acute or immediate security threat. “It is about ensuring that we can participate fully in NATO’s nuclear planning,” he said. He emphasised that Finland did not want nuclear weapons on its territory but was aligning its legal framework with the policies of its Nordic neighbours.
The proposal does not mean Finland would permanently host nuclear arms. Any deployment would require separate political and legal approvals, and the government has opened a public consultation period on the measure that runs until April 2. The governing right-wing coalition holds a majority in parliament and is expected to advance the bill.
Finland’s move is part of a sweeping reassessment of European nuclear posture. France has offered to extend the protection of its nuclear arsenal to other NATO allies, and France and Germany have established a joint nuclear steering group to coordinate deterrence discussions. Sweden has also signalled that its longstanding peacetime ban on foreign troops and nuclear weapons could be reconsidered if the strategic situation were to change fundamentally.
Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, the longest of any European Union or NATO member state, and relations between Helsinki and Moscow have deteriorated sharply since Finland joined NATO in April 2023. Finnish leaders have also accused Russia of waging hybrid warfare, including directing migrants toward the shared border, allegations Moscow has denied.
The New START Treaty between the United States and Russia expired in February, removing the last major bilateral nuclear arms control framework and adding urgency to calls for a new strategic agreement. No timeline for new talks has been confirmed.
