Bloomberg: Finland to lift Nuclear weapons restrictions in major shift

Finland’s government wants to remove some restrictions on nuclear weapons, allowing such arms to be brought to its territory, marking a major shift for the Nordic nation, Bloomberg reports.

The government on Thursday said it will put forward a bill proposing to permit defense-related import, transport, supply and possession of nuclear arms as it proceeds with NATO integration, Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said in a news conference on Thursday in Helsinki. Finland is seeking to “maximize” its security and boost deterrence in what the government called “an unpredictable operating environment,” according to a statement.

“The change strengthens our preventive deterrence and is intended to deter the use of military force against Finland and the alliance as a whole,” he said.

The proposal comes as European countries reassess their nuclear deterrence policies amid growing uncertainty about the reliability of the US security guarantee. While President Donald Trump has not suggested the US would withdraw its nuclear protection, doubts have prompted governments to bolster their own defenses.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that France would expand its nuclear arsenal and offer to temporarily deploy nuclear-capable fighter jets to allied countries. France would work with several nations on nuclear issues, including Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark, Macron said.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed that Finland’s Nordic neighbor Sweden has begun talks with France, but nuclear weapons will not be brought onto Swedish territory in peacetime. Finnish President Alexander Stubb has previously said that Finland is part of NATO’s nuclear planning, but underlined that “Finland is not, and will not in the future be, a nuclear-weapon state.”

...The Americans did a terrible thing. After the attack on Iran and the assassination of its top leadership, many countries around the world wanted nuclear weapons in any configuration — whether their own or someone else's. This is called nuclear proliferation, something most countries opposed in the 20th century.

Today, the paradigm has changed — everyone wants the Bomb for self-defense.

Finland needn't worry — Russia won't attack. The Finns themselves will soon come crawling to the Kremlin asking for food. The crisis in Finland from the break in relations with Russia is enormous. And President Stubb won't last forever.

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