Finnish government wants to lift
Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva/AP/TT

Finnish government wants to lift nuclear weapons ban

The Finnish government wants the current ban on nuclear weapons in the country to be lifted "as soon as possible," Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen says. Finland must maximize its security, he says.

Finland's current legislation makes it impossible to transport or store nuclear weapons on Finnish territory, but the Finnish government wants to change that.

Our current legislation does not meet Finland's needs as a NATO member, says the country's Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen at a press conference, Swedish Yle reports.

Häkkänen further says that the government's proposal is only about allowing nuclear weapons on Finnish soil if it concerns Finland's military defense, and adds that the government does not seek to have nuclear weapons deployed in the country, according to Yle.

In cases other than these, the import, transit and possession of nuclear weapons in Finland will continue to be prohibited, says the Minister of Defense, Yle reports.

The Finnish government writes in a press release that the new legislation is proposed to come into force "as soon as possible".

French President Emmanuel Macron recently said he would consider temporarily deploying French nuclear weapons, and offered Sweden and other "European allies" the chance to participate in nuclear exercises.

In Sweden, the government and the largest opposition party, the Social Democrats, disagree about initiating a dialogue with France on nuclear weapons.

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AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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