Macron Welcomes Finland to Nuclear Deterrence Initiative; Finnish PM Says It Strengthens European Defense

(Central News Agency, Helsinki, 7th, Special Dispatch by Reporter Chi-Lin Wu) Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and French President Emmanuel Macron announced after their meeting in Paris this week that France welcomes Finland to join the French-organized nuclear deterrence initiative. Orpo stated that Finland is highly interested in the related cooperation and agreed to obtain the detailed content of the initiative as soon as possible for domestic discussion.

Orpo held a bilateral meeting with Macron at the Élysée Palace in France, coinciding with Finland chairing the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting this week.

In a telephone interview with the Finnish News Agency (STT) after the meeting, Orpo said, "We agreed to cooperate and to further understand the content and significance of this initiative, and what Finland can gain from it."

He emphasized that joining the initiative involves military details, "This is something that should be clarified by military professionals, so we understand what it represents and what it does not represent." He also assessed that Finland's participation would help strengthen European defense and strategic autonomy, forming a deterrent against attacks on Europe. "This French initiative clearly strengthens European security," he said.

Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen also consulted with French military commanders on the initiative's plans this week. He said, "Nuclear deterrence is the core of European defense capability and a major preventive deterrent against potential Russian aggression. Currently, this foundation is built on the nuclear deterrence of NATO and the United States. France now wants to launch a French-style nuclear deterrence initiative to provide added value."

According to a report by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle), former Defense Minister and Member of Parliament Antti Kaikkonen pointed out that France is one of the few nuclear-armed countries in the world and has always been extremely cautious about nuclear weapons control. He assessed that if Finland joins, the form of cooperation would likely be mainly joint exercises. "I don't think France will deploy nuclear weapons in Finland, and Finland has also clearly stated that it does not want nuclear weapons on its territory during peacetime. This possibility should have been ruled out."

President Macron announced in early March this year that France would gradually launch the "European Nuclear Deterrence Initiative" (also called advanced deterrence), inviting eight countries – Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Greece, Poland, Sweden, Germany, and Denmark – to participate, allowing allies to take part in joint nuclear deterrence exercises and potentially deploy nuclear-capable aircraft on allied territory.

France currently possesses approximately 290 nuclear warheads, making it the only nuclear-armed country in the EU and the world's fourth-largest nuclear power after Russia, the United States, and China. According to assessments by several experts, Macron's adjustment represents the most significant shift in French nuclear weapons policy in decades.

Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen announced in March this year that Finland had lifted its policy of a comprehensive ban on the entry of nuclear weapons, thereby removing the legal threshold for participating in international nuclear deterrence cooperation. Kaikkonen said, "France's position in the EU is unique, and it has historically held the decision-making power over nuclear weapons firmly in its own hands." (Editor: Tang Shengyang) 1150607