NATO’S nuclear deterrent must be real for Finland, the country’s president Alexander Stubb said on Friday as he took office following his win in a close-fought election on Feb. 11.
During his campaign ahead of the vote, Stubb said he saw no limits for Finland’s participation in NATO and would be ready to let nuclear weapons be transported through Finland – though not stored there – as the country abandoned decades of military non-alignment.
When asked about his views on nuclear weapons at his first news conference as president, Stubb said it would be for the Finnish government and parliament to decide if Finland wants to alter its current legislation that bans nuclear weapons on Finnish soil, including their transfer.
”I would start from the premise that we in Finland must have a real nuclear deterrent, and that’s what we have, because NATO practically gives us three deterrences through our membership,” Stubb told reporters. Läs artikel