Finland Joins France’s Nuclear Defence Plan

HELSINKI — Finland has joined France’s “Forward Deterrence” initiative, a new European defence effort aimed at strengthening the continent’s security and reducing its dependence on the United States.

The decision was announced on September 14 by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and French President Emmanuel Macron. Finland becomes the 10th European country to participate in the French initiative, which was launched by Macron in March 2026.

The initiative allows participating countries to deepen cooperation with France on nuclear deterrence, strategic consultations, military exercises and crisis management. France says the cooperation can also help European countries manage a serious military crisis before it reaches the nuclear threshold.

However, Finland will not host nuclear weapons on its territory during peacetime, President Stubb said. France will also keep full control over its nuclear weapons and the final decision on whether they would ever be used.

For Finland, the move is particularly significant because the country shares a roughly 1,340-kilometre border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen described joining the French initiative as a natural step in strengthening European security.

A Franco-Finnish Nuclear Steering Group will be established in the coming months to begin implementing the cooperation. Finland has stressed that the French initiative does not replace NATO’s nuclear deterrence, but is intended to complement Europe’s existing defence arrangements.

The move comes as European countries increasingly debate how to strengthen their own defence capabilities amid continuing tensions with Russia and uncertainty over the long-term role of the United States in European security.

In simple terms: Finland is not getting French nuclear weapons. Instead, it is joining a French-led European security framework that gives Finland a closer role in discussions, exercises and planning around France’s nuclear deterrence.

Sources: Finnish Government, Office of the President of Finland, French Presidency