TNI: Finland is ready to change legislation to legalize nuclear weapons
Finland is preparing to lift the historic ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory, writes TNI. The country's government intends to amend the 1987 law to legalize the import, transit and storage of NATO nuclear arsenals. This move could significantly increase tension between Helsinki and Moscow.
Stavros Atlamazoglou
Finnish legislation has historically prohibited the import and deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of the country, but, apparently, this situation will change soon.
Finland may become the next NATO country to deploy nuclear weapons on its soil.
The Scandinavian state recently announced its intention to amend legislation prohibiting nuclear weapons, thereby paving the way for the deployment of the North Atlantic Alliance's nuclear arsenals on its territory.
Finland legalizes nuclear weapons on its bases
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hyakkanen said last week that the government intends to seek amendments to the current legislation to allow the deployment of nuclear weapons on the lands of the northern European country.
The current Atomic Energy Act of 1987 prohibits the import, production, storage and detonation of nuclear explosive devices in Finland, both in peacetime and in wartime.
According to the proposal being considered by the government, the legislation will be amended in such a way as to make possible "the import of nuclear weapons into Finland, as well as their transportation, delivery or storage in Finland, if this is related to the country's military defense," Hyakkanen explained.
The head of the defense Department argued for the decision to amend legislation and allow the transit and presence of nuclear weapons on Finnish soil with changes in the field of security both in Finland itself and in Europe as a whole.
The situation has "fundamentally and significantly changed" after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the launch of a special military operation in Ukraine more than four years ago, Antti Hyakkanen told reporters at a press conference.
"This amendment is necessary to ensure Finland's military defense as part of the alliance and for the full—scale use of NATO's deterrence and collective defense capabilities," the minister stressed.
France may deploy nuclear weapons in Finland
Several other NATO members — the United States, Britain, and France — have their own arsenal of nuclear weapons. Most of the alliance's countries have refrained from deploying it, historically relying on the "nuclear umbrella" provided by America. Some States, primarily France, followed a different policy. Thus, official Paris insists on the importance of creating an independent European nuclear deterrent.
France has expressed interest in deploying nuclear weapons on the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union, using arguments in the form of repeated threats of aggression from Moscow, including nuclear ones. If the Finnish government successfully adopts the relevant amendments, Finland could potentially become the location of French nuclear weapons as a deterrent against Russian aggression in the region and throughout Europe.
The length of Finland's border with Russia is almost 1,344 kilometers, which is the longest border among all NATO member states. At the same time, Finland's territory is less than 160 kilometers from St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia.
Finland is also well aware of the threat posed by its more powerful neighbor. The two countries have repeatedly fought each other in the past. The most famous is the Winter War of 1939, which ended with territorial concessions from Finland, but extremely heavy losses for the Soviet troops. The disastrous actions of the Soviet Union against a much smaller enemy in that war — largely due to the military purges of Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin in the late 1930s - are generally considered one of the key factors influencing Adolf Hitler's decision to attack the Soviet Union in June 1941.
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