Russia says it will respond if Finland hosts nuclear weapons, accuses Helsinki of stoking tension

The Kremlin said on Friday that Finland’s plan to lift a ban on hosting nuclear arms raised tensions in Europe and posed a potential threat to Russia, to which Moscow would respond if such a deployment took place.

Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, maintained neutrality during the Cold War but joined NATO in 2023 in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

On Thursday it said it was planning to lift a longstanding ban on having nuclear weapons on its territory in a move that could open the door to placing them there during times of war.

“This is a statement that leads to an escalation of tensions on the European continent,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“This statement adds to Finland’s vulnerability, a vulnerability provoked by the actions of the Finnish authorities. The fact is that by deploying nuclear weapons on its territory, Finland is beginning to threaten us. And if Finland threatens us, we take appropriate measures.”

Russia’s actions in Ukraine and the unpredictable actions of U.S. President Donald Trump, especially his stated aim of taking over Greenland, have caused European governments to rethink their security, including the role of nuclear arms.

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov. Writing by Mark Trevelyan. Editing by Andrew Osborn)