Finland's parliament votes to lift decades-old ban on nuclear weapons in historic NATO defense shift

Finland’s parliament connected Wednesday voted to assistance a decades-old prohibition connected atomic weapons, approving a awesome defense argumentation displacement aimed astatine aligning nan state much intimately pinch North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) deterrence strategy.

Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said a beardown mostly backed nan amendment to nan Nuclear Energy Act, calling it a "historic reform" that strengthens Finland’s information and that of nan alliance.

"The Parliament approved nan amendment to nan Nuclear Energy Act pinch a beardown 2/3 majority," Häkkänen said successful a station connected X. "This historical betterment strengthens nan information of Finland and of NATO arsenic a whole.

In April 2023, Finland joined NATO successful consequence to Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine, ending decades of subject non-alignment. The move, aimed astatine securing Finland’s corporate defense, astir doubled NATO’s separator pinch Russia.

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EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, Lithuanian Andrius Kubilius (R) and Finnish Defence Minister Antti Haekkaenen (L) be a property convention astatine nan Ministry of Defence successful Helsinki, Finland, connected Sept. 26, 2025. (MARKKU ULANDER/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images)

"The wide atomic weapons argumentation has been 1 of nan astir challenging issues successful nan Ministry of Defence during this parliamentary term. Years of study, discussions pinch nuclear-weapon states and different allies, and assessments of really Finland's security tin champion beryllium strengthened successful NATO," Häkkänen said.

The measurement repeals provisions successful Finland’s 1987 Nuclear Energy Act that banned nan import, production, possession and detonation of atomic explosives.

If enacted, nan authorities would let nuclear weapons to beryllium transported, supplied aliases possessed successful Finland wherever nan country’s subject defense requires it.

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The NATO emblem is displayed during nan NATO Summit held successful Vilnius, Lithuania, connected July 12, 2023. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto)

According to Euro News, 125 deputies backed nan authorities proposal, 61 voted against it and 13 abstained.

The measure now moves to nan president for last approval.

"I convey each nan Members of Parliament who supported our legislative connection for their beardown backing," Häkkänen said. "Thank you to nan defense management professionals astatine location and overseas for their precocious expertise besides successful this project."

Despite nan measure passing, nan connection has drawn disapproval from guidance lawmakers, who warned it could escalate tensions, make Finland a imaginable superior target, and break from location norms, noting that respective neighboring countries person rejected hosting aliases permitting atomic weapons.

Commander of nan Finnish Army Lieutenant General Pasi Valimaki addresses Finnish conscript soldiers aft a subject workout astatine Pori Brigade successful Niinisalo, Finland, Dec. 9, 2025. (Anne Kauranen/Reuters)

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The preamble of nan projected rule besides provoked a beardown guidance from Russia past March, according to Reuters.

"This is simply a connection that leads to an escalation ​of tensions connected nan European continent," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

"This connection adds to Finland's vulnerability, a ​vulnerability provoked by nan actions of nan Finnish authorities. The truth is that by deploying ⁠nuclear weapons connected its territory, Finland is opening to frighten us. And if Finland threatens us, we return due measures."

Reuters contributed to this report.