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Finland Considers Lifting Four-Decade Ban on Nuclear Weapons on Its Soil
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Finland is weighing whether to ease legal restrictions that bar the transit of nuclear weapons through the country, according to Yle News on March 5.
Yle reported that members of Finland’s cabinet want to reconsider existing restrictions. Finnish law bans nuclear explosives in all forms, including import, manufacture, possession, and detonation.
A planned revision of the Nuclear Energy Act, adopted in 1987, would not address nuclear weapons directly, and the issue is expected to move through a separate process.
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The government has also emphasized it has no intention of becoming a nuclear-armed state.
The debate has intensified after French President Emmanuel Macron opened talks on extending France’s nuclear deterrent to other parts of Europe.
Initial discussions involve eight countries, including Sweden. Finland is not part of that group, and current Finnish law remains a key hurdle.
Meanwhile, NATO plans to create a Forward Land Forces Multinational Staff Element in northern Finland as part of a permanent allied land presence, Finland’s defense minister said, citing BFBS Forces News.
The new unit is expected to operate in Rovaniemi and Sodankylä, with its structure building gradually over the coming years and responsibilities split between Finland, Sweden, and other allies.
Finland said the peacetime staff would number a few dozen, focused on training and exercises, but could expand toward brigade-size if tensions rise in the High North.
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")