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By Andrew Stanton and Gabe Whisnant
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Finland has moved to lift a Cold War-era ban on importing nuclear weapons, a shift the government says is necessary after joining NATO.
Newsweek reached out to Finland's Defense Ministry for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The announcement comes amid the growing conflict in the Middle East. The U.S. and Israel struck Iran in a military operation dubbed Operation Epic Fury early Saturday morning after failed talks between the U.S. and Iran to address Iran’s nuclear program, as Iran had declined to halt uranium enrichment. It also comes during a 4-year-old war between Russia and Ukraine that has fueled nuclear concerns close to home for Finland, which shares its eastern border with Russia.
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What to Know
Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said Thursday the change would allow nuclear weapons to enter or transit Finnish territory only in defense‑related circumstances. He stressed that Finland is not seeking to permanently host nuclear arms and that any such deployment would require separate political and legal approvals.
The proposal would amend existing laws that currently impose an absolute prohibition on nuclear weapons dating to the 1980s.
Häkkänen said transporting a nuclear weapon into Finland would now be permitted in situations related to the military defense of the nation, Finish broadcaster Yleisradio Oy (Yle) reported. The situation changed with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership and is intended to provide full protection for Finland in all situations, the broadcaster reported.
He declined to give examples of when exactly nuclear weapons could be brought into Finland, as NATO's nuclear weapon strategy is secret. He said the country is not seeking nuclear weapons on its territory and that NATO has no plans to bring nuclear weapons to its territory. Permanent deployment of nuclear weapon in Finland would still require an international treaty, he said.
NATO says the purpose of its nuclear capability is to "preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression." Finland joined NATO in April 2023.
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"As long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance. NATO’s goal is a safer world for all; the Alliance seeks to create the security environment for a world without nuclear weapons," its website reads.
In February, a nuclear deal between the United States and Russia, known as the New START Treaty, expired, drawing calls for renewed efforts on nuclear disarmament. U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated he wants to see a new deal that includes China.
Melissa Parke, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), wrote in a statement following its expiration that the U.S. and Russia “should publicly commit to respect New START’s limits while a new framework is negotiated.”
“All nuclear armed countries have to recognise that arms control alone is no longer enough," she said. "These weapons need to be eliminated before they are used again and the way to do that is through is through the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which a majority of countries have already signed or ratified only five years after it came into force.”
France has also adjusted its nuclear strategy in recent days. French President Emanuel Macron said this week that his military would increase its number of nuclear warheads. He also said discussions on deterrence cooperation have already begun with Britain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark.
“If we had to use our arsenal, no state, however powerful, could shield itself from it, and no state, however vast, would recover from it,” he said.
What People Are Saying
Alicia Sanders-Zakre, Head of Policy of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, told Newsweek via email, "Nuclear weapons do not provide security; on the contrary they pose an ever-present risk of catastrophe. Nuclear weapons are stationed in current European host countries secretly without the knowledge or consent of their populations. Instead of embracing this anti- democratic policy which rests on the mass annihilation of civilians, Finland should join the 99 other countries that have already signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which outlaws nuclear weapons stationing, installment and deployment."
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen, during the press conference, per Bloomberg: "The change strengthens our preventive deterrence and is intended to deter the use of military force against Finland and the alliance as a whole."
Li Andersson, a former member of the European parliament for Finland, on X: “Due to Häkkänen's proposal, Finland is heading towards the most permissive Nordic policy on nuclear weapons. Changing the established negative stance is not in Finland's interest. Nor is it in our interest to create such deterrence where it is unclear whether there are nuclear weapons in our region or not.”
Update 3/5/26, 2:10 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 3/5/26, 7 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and remarks.
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