Finnish President Alexander Stubb has signed a law canceling the ban on importing and deploying nuclear weapons on the country’s territory. The new law will come into effect on July 1 and will expand the country’s capabilities under NATO’s nuclear deterrence policy.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb on June 26 approved changes to the Nuclear Energy Act. According to it, the current ban on importing nuclear weapons and deploying them on the territory of the country will be abolished. Relevant documents are published on the website of the Parliament of Finland, and the law will enter into force on July 1, 2026. comes into force.
These changes were adopted by the parliament on March 17 of this year with the votes of 125 deputies, while 61 deputies voted against.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hyakkyanen called this decision a historic step for the country’s security. He noted that the new law will serve to strengthen the defense potential of not only Finland, but also NATO as a whole.
President Alexander Stubb announced that Finland does not plan to permanently deploy nuclear weapons on its territory in peacetime. According to him, it is about the policy of nuclear deterrence.
“It is a means of deterrence, the main purpose of which is to ensure that there is no need to use nuclear weapons,” said the Finnish leader.
The adoption of the law was also sharply evaluated by Russia. The Kremlin announced in March that Moscow would take appropriate retaliatory measures if nuclear weapons were deployed on Finnish territory.
In response to this statement, Defense Minister Hyakkyanen said that Helsinki is fully prepared for a possible Russian reaction. According to him, this change in legislation will reduce the possibility of Finland facing military pressure from Russia.
In recent years, Finland has taken a number of important decisions in its security policy. In particular, the country announced in January 2026 that it was officially withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, which bans the production, stockpiling and use of anti-personnel mines.
President Stubb explained this decision by the deterioration of the security situation in the world. He noted that Finland’s neighbor Russia is not a party to the Ottawa Convention and is widely using landmines in Ukraine.
Finland expressed its desire to join NATO in May 2022, after the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. The country was officially accepted into the alliance in April 2023. Finland’s common border with Russia is more than 1300 kilometers long.
At the same time, Alexander Stubb also noted that in May 2026, it is time for European countries to resume direct communication with Russia.
