Finland joins France’s nuclear deterrence amid Russia, US uncertainty

Finland becomes 10th European state to sign up to military cooperation and nuclear deterrence initiative.

Al JazeeraAl Jazeera Staff2026-09-14 20:20查看原文 ↗

Finland becomes 10th European state to sign up to military cooperation and nuclear deterrence initiative.

Finland becomes the 10th European country to join the French initiative, which comes as Russia is viewed as a growing threat and concerns increase over the commitment of the United States to help protect the continent (File: AP)

Finland has agreed to join France’s Forward Deterrence Initiative, extending the coverage of the French nuclear deterrent to eleven European countries.

The announcement came as part of a new strategic partnership between Finland and France, formalised by the countries’ foreign ministers in Helsinki on Monday. Finland becomes the 10th European country to join the French initiative, which comes as Russia is viewed as a growing threat and increasing concern over the commitment of the United States to help protect the continent.

“Finland has decided to join forward deterrence,” according to their joint statement.

Finnish President Alexander ‌‌Stubb wrote on social media that the initiative is “first and foremost about strengthening European security”.

A nuclear steering group will be set up in the coming months to begin implementing the cooperation, the two European Union states announced.

Stubb was careful to state that the initiative does not replace NATO’s nuclear deterrence, insisting that the move had been discussed extensively with the US ⁠⁠and the military alliance.

However, Finland joins Britain, Germany, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Denmark and Norway in signing up for cooperation with France’s nuclear umbrella, as President Donald Trump’s shake-up of NATO has Europe – and especially those states closer to Russia in the east – reassessing their security arrangements.

Estonia is also in discussion with France with an eye on joining the enhanced nuclear deterrence, Prime Minister Kristen Michal told the AFP news agency.

“We are under NATO’s nuclear umbrella already. And France is also backing up our independence with the troops in Estonia. So if the cooperation can be deeper in the nuclear field, that probably will go so,” he said.

Under the initiative, the French president ⁠⁠alone has the authority to decide when nuclear weapons are used, in contrast to NATO, which has a shared Nuclear Planning Group.

However, it offers joint ⁠⁠exercises, the potential short-term deployment of nuclear-capable assets on allied territory and deeper consultation.

Finland does not intend to allow nuclear weapons to be ‌‌stationed ‌‌on its territory in peacetime, Stubb noted.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron (L) bids farewell to Finland’s President Alexander Stubb after their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, September 10, 2026 [Ludovic MARIN / AFP]

Finland is among a number of European countries that warn of the growing threat from Russia.

Finnish authorities seized a vessel in December suspected of intentionally severing undersea telecommunications cables amid fears of Russian sabotage in the Gulf of Finland.

The Fitburg was en route from the Russian port of St Petersburg ⁠⁠to Israel at the time of the incident, according to Finnish officials.

芬兰成为第十个签署军事合作与核威慑倡议的欧洲国家。

芬兰成为加入法国倡议的第十个欧洲国家。与此同时，俄罗斯被视为日益增长的威胁，人们对美国在保护欧洲大陆方面的承诺也越来越感到担忧。（图片：美联社）

芬兰已同意加入法国的“前沿威慑倡议”，将法国核威慑的范围扩大到 11 个欧洲国家。

芬兰和法国宣布建立新的战略伙伴关系，两国外长于周一在赫尔辛基正式签署了该协议。芬兰成为加入法国这项倡议的第十个欧洲国家。此举正值俄罗斯被视为日益增长的威胁，以及人们对美国在保护欧洲大陆方面所作承诺的担忧日益加剧之际。

根据双方的联合声明，“芬兰已决定加入前沿威慑”。

芬兰总统亚历山大·斯图布在社交媒体上写道，这项倡议“首先是为了加强欧洲安全”。

这两个欧盟成员国宣布，将在未来几个月内成立一个核能指导小组，开始落实合作。

斯塔布谨慎地表示，该倡议不会取代北约的核威慑，并坚称这一举措已与美国和北约进行了广泛的讨论。

然而，随着美国总统唐纳德·特朗普对北约的重组，欧洲，尤其是那些靠近俄罗斯东部的国家，正在重新评估其安全安排，芬兰加入了英国、德国、波兰、瑞典、荷兰、比利时、希腊、丹麦和挪威的行列，签署了与法国核保护伞合作的协议。

爱沙尼亚总理克里斯汀·米哈尔告诉法新社，爱沙尼亚也在与法国进行磋商，希望加入加强型核威慑力量。

“我们已经处于北约的核保护伞之下。法国也通过驻爱沙尼亚军队支持我们的独立。因此，如果能在核领域深化合作，那很可能会这样做，”他说。