Finland has taken an important step towards strengthening its defence strategy by joining the French nuclear deterrence initiative. As the Finnish authorities emphasise, this decision neither replaces nor duplicates NATO’s efforts in this area. Finland views joining the initiative as a way of enhancing the country’s security and strengthening relations with France, which it regards as a key player in European defence.
Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hykkänen stated that this decision would enable deeper bilateral cooperation with France. He noted that the move is a natural one, given that Finland’s close allies, such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark, are already participating in this initiative.
A distinctive feature of this initiative is that it does not impose any funding obligations on participants, unlike NATO’s nuclear deterrence programme. Finland plans to begin negotiations with France shortly to determine the specific terms and aspects of future cooperation.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb clarified that the country does not intend to station nuclear weapons on its territory in peacetime. The main aim of the initiative is to strengthen European security and prevent conflicts. In 2026, the Finnish Parliament lifted the ban on the transit and storage of nuclear weapons in the country for defensive purposes, in order to remove legislative barriers that do not exist in other Nordic countries.
At present, only the United Kingdom and France possess nuclear weapons in Europe. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), France possesses a significant arsenal, including submarines capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The exact number of warheads is classified, but it is known that there were around 290 as of early 2023.