(presidentialwire.com)- After Finnish President Sauli Niinisto claimed there were “no preconditions” to the country’s entrance to the international body, Finland could house NATO nuclear weapons 600 miles from Moscow. However, authorities say the move is currently unlikely.
According to rumors, Finland would be hesitant to host nuclear weapons or permanent soldiers on its territory and could want guarantees that this wouldn’t be the case. According to Prime Minister Sanna Marin earlier this year, NATO had no interest in deploying bases or nuclear weapons.
But President Niinisto made the following remarks at this weekend’s first Helsinki Security Forum in the Finnish capital:
“Finland is actively seeking membership in NATO. Neither more nor less. We have no specific requirements or objections that we would use to define membership requirements.”
As Finland’s southern border is fewer than 600 miles from Moscow, this remark theoretically allows Finland to host NATO nuclear weapons.
According to officials, the Hungarian and Turkish parliaments will soon ratify Finland and Sweden as the organization’s 31st and 32nd members.
The geostrategic environment in northern Europe will change due to the impending double admission. The 810-mile Finland-Russia border will serve as NATO’s new front line with Moscow, and the Baltic Sea will become what some analysts call “a NATO lake.”
The membership issue is almost decided. The possibility of the two governments hosting nuclear weapons is not a question, even if all parties involved believe it is implausible.
In May, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that the alliance had not shown a desire to install such weapons on Finnish soil. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, no new member of NATO has nuclear weapons.
The deterrent is now stationed at sites in NATO’s three nuclear-armed countries and non-nuclear states Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey.
