Finland’s Parliament voted 125-61 to amend a decades-old law, allowing NATO nuclear weapons to be moved through or supported on Finnish territory during defense operations while stopping short of permanent deployment.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Finland’s Parliament voted Wednesday to remove a longstanding legal ban on nuclear weapons, clearing the way for NATO to receive, transport or support nuclear arms on Finnish territory during alliance defense operations.
Lawmakers approved the change 125-61, amending Finland’s Nuclear Energy Act and ending a restriction that had been in place since 1980, according to Politico.
Officials said the change does not mean Finland intends to permanently host nuclear weapons. Instead, the amendment gives the country greater flexibility as a NATO member by allowing nuclear-related alliance activity on Finnish soil if needed for defense planning or operations.
Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen described the vote as a major shift in Finland’s security posture and said it followed years of talks with allies and nuclear powers about the country’s role inside the alliance.
“The Parliament approved the amendment to the Nuclear Energy Act with a strong 2/3 majority,” Häkkänen wrote on X. “This historic reform strengthens the security of Finland and of NATO as a whole.”
The vote marks another step in Finland’s rapid move away from decades of military nonalignment after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Finland joined NATO in 2023, dramatically changing the alliance’s northern security map. The country shares more than 800 miles of border with Russia, making it the NATO member with the alliance’s longest direct frontier with Moscow.
Earlier this year, Häkkänen said Finland’s nuclear restrictions no longer matched the reality of its position as a NATO member.
Security concerns along Finland’s eastern flank have remained high. In May, Finnish authorities scrambled fighter jets after a suspected drone entered Finnish airspace near Helsinki. President Alexander Stubb later said the country faced “no direct military threat,” though military officials said they had received advance intelligence about the incident.
The nuclear law change also comes as Finland weighs whether to align more closely with French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal for a broader European nuclear deterrent.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has expressed interest in the French initiative, but Finnish officials have not made a final decision on whether to take part.
The parliamentary vote gives Finland new legal room to support NATO nuclear deterrence activities while maintaining that no permanent nuclear weapons deployment is currently planned.
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