Nuclear weapons in Finland? Russia threatens consequences. “It will threaten us”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed the view that the possible deployment of nuclear weapons on Finnish territory would pose a threat to Russia and would be met with its response, Reuters reported on Friday.

– These are statements leading to an escalation of tension on the European continent – Peskov said during a meeting with journalists, referring to the decision of the Finnish government, which announced the lifting of the ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons on the country's territory. – By deploying nuclear weapons on its territory, Finland will pose a threat to us, Peskov emphasized.

As Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen pointed out on Thursday, this change does not involve any “dramatic” step, but is only aimed at removing legal restrictions that hindered the full use of NATO's collective defense mechanisms. The idea is that in the future it will be possible to transport nuclear weapons across the country's territory, as well as to supply and possess them, as long as it is related to the defense of Finland.

Finland is a member of the North Atlantic Alliance until 2023 (PAP)

mad/ rtt/