Finland Plans to Amend Law to Lift "Nuclear Ban"
Xinhua News Agency, Helsinki, March 6 (Reporter Zhu Haochen, Xu Qian) The Finnish government announced on the 5th that it will promote amendments to current laws to lift the comprehensive ban on the import, transportation, delivery, and possession of nuclear explosive devices, aligning Finland's nuclear deterrence and security policy with NATO. Western media generally interpret this move as a relaxation of nuclear weapon restrictions.
Current Finnish law completely prohibits the import, transportation, delivery, or possession of nuclear explosive devices. According to a statement released by the Finnish Ministry of Defense on the 5th, the proposed amendment will stipulate that nuclear explosive devices may be imported into Finland, or transported, delivered, or possessed within Finland, in the context of national territorial defense, NATO collective defense, or defense cooperation. The laws to be amended include the Nuclear Energy Act and the Criminal Code.
The Finnish Ministry of Defense emphasized that Finland has no intention of seeking to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory, and NATO has no plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Finland. This move is intended to "maximize Finland's security in an unpredictable operational environment" and to keep the threshold for military actions against Finland and NATO "as high as possible."
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen stated at a press conference on the 5th that the relevant amendments are necessary to strengthen national defense and fully utilize NATO's deterrence and collective defense capabilities.
The draft is currently in the public consultation phase, with the deadline for public and institutional feedback set for April 2.
Finland officially joined NATO in 2023, becoming its 31st member.
According to TASS, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on the 6th that if Finland deploys nuclear weapons on its territory, it would pose a threat to Russia. "If Finland threatens us, we will take appropriate measures."
The Finnish government announced plans on March 5, 2023, to amend laws that currently prohibit the import and possession of nuclear explosive devices. This legislative change aims to align Finland's nuclear deterrence policy with NATO's collective defense strategy. The Defense Minister emphasized the necessity of these changes for national security, while Russia warned that such actions would be seen as a threat.
- Finland plans to amend laws to lift the ban on nuclear explosive devices.
- The proposed changes aim to align Finland's nuclear deterrence policy with NATO.
- Current laws completely prohibit the import, transport, or possession of nuclear explosive devices.
- The Finnish Defense Minister stated that the changes are necessary for national defense.
- Russia has warned that deploying nuclear weapons in Finland would pose a threat.