The President of Finland Sauli Niiniste stated that his country will not deploy nuclear weapons on its territory after joining the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO).
Yle writes about it.
The President said that after joining the Alliance, Finland has no intention of importing nuclear weapons, and similar proposals from NATO countries have not been received either.
At the same time, Niiniste noted that nuclear weapons are an integral part of NATOʼs deterrence forces. However, they are a tool for prevention, not an end in themselves. He added that a nuclear war cannot be won and should never be started.
Sauli Niiniste also said that there is no end in sight to Russiaʼs war in Ukraine, and none of the parties is making compromises. He emphasized that Ukraine has every right to protect its integrity and legal borders, and the Russian army has no right to be on Ukrainian soil.
"Finland will help Ukraine as long as it is needed," the President Niiniste noted.
- Sweden and Finland have applied to join NATO in May 2022. All 30 member states must agree, but Turkey has vetoed it.
- After talks at the NATO summit in Madrid, Turkish President Recep Erdogan agreed with his Finnish and Swedish counterparts on June 28 on a series of security measures that allowed the two Scandinavian countries to move forward in their bid to join the Alliance. Turkish media published the terms agreed to by Sweden and Finland. In particular, they undertake to cooperate with Turkey in countering terrorism and exchange intelligence. Also, these countries should oppose the Kurdistan Workersʼ Party, recognized as a terrorist in the EU and Turkey, and its affiliated organizations.
- On July 4, the countries concluded negotiations with NATO and the next day signed the protocol on joining the Alliance. Now this document must be ratified by all NATO member states — after that, Sweden and Finland will become full members of the Alliance.