Finland must have real nuclear deterrent - new President Stubb
The new President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, after being sworn in today, March 1, said that NATO’s nuclear deterrent should be a realistic option for his country.
When asked about his views on nuclear weapons, the Finnish leader said that the government and parliament of his country will decide whether Finland wants to change the current legislation that prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of the country and its transfer, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.
"I would start with the presumption that we in Finland have to have a real nuclear deterrent, and that is what we have, because NATO basically gives us three deterrents through our membership. The first one is the military, that is, soldiers, the second one is missiles, that is, munitions, and the third one is the nuclear deterrent that comes from the United States," Stubb said during his first press conference as president.
It is noted that during the election campaign ahead of the presidential election, Stubb said that he saw no restrictions on Finland's accession to the Alliance, as the country had abandoned its longstanding military non-alignment, and was ready to allow the transportation of nuclear weapons through Finland, but was not in favor of the idea of storing nuclear weapons on its territory.
"We are now entering a new era. As a result of our military alliance and NATO membership, we have taken the last step towards the Western community of values, to which our republic has spiritually belonged throughout the period of its independence," Stubb emphasized.
He also named democracy, the rule of law, and human rights as the core values on which Finland's foreign policy will be based under his leadership.
