On November 2 in Helsinki, at the opening of the 258th National Defense Course, Finnish President Alexander Stubb announced that the country has joined the French nuclear deterrence initiative. According to him, work to implement this cooperation at the official level began last week. The course itself, at the opening of which the statement was made, brings together specialists from various security fields and will last for three and a half weeks.
Official accession and format of cooperation
“Finland has joined the French nuclear deterrence initiative, and work to implement this cooperation at the official level began last week,” Stubb stated. He emphasized that at this stage the full scope of cooperation is still taking shape, and before making any decisions, Helsinki “will carefully assess the consequences of various options.” The president added that Finland takes this cooperation seriously, as it does with all steps to strengthen defense. In his estimation, in-depth discussions with a nuclear-armed state provide a new understanding of how major powers assess the consequences of their actions in the current environment, and above all strengthen collective deterrence.
Context of the French initiative
The French initiative, previously announced by President Emmanuel Macron, involves moving towards the concept of “advanced deterrence” in the nuclear sphere: joint exercises with partner countries and the possible deployment of elements of French strategic forces in other European states. In parallel, Paris intends to build up its nuclear arsenal. The press service of the Finnish Ministry of Defense reported Helsinki joining the initiative back in September, and Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen explained that the cooperation would be bilateral. At the same time, sources cite varying numbers of participating countries — from seven to ten.
The role of NATO and the US in deterrence
Stubb recalled that the US extended deterrence also brings Finland under the protection of nuclear deterrence, and NATO membership plays a central role in the country's deterrence. At the same time, the president stated that the US role is weakening, and Europe is increasingly forced to rely on its own forces — in this context, according to him, the deepening of cooperation with Paris is being considered.
Contact with Putin and support for Ukraine
Separately, Stubb spoke about a phone call with Vladimir Putin, which took place last week together with the Prime Minister of Norway. According to him, the leaders confirmed during the conversation that support for Ukraine remains unwavering.
Finnish aid to Ukraine
Recall that in late January 2025, Finland handed over the 27th military aid package to Ukraine worth 198 million euros, after which the total cost of supplied defense equipment reached 2.5 billion euros. In March 2025, the Finnish Foreign Ministry also decided to allocate 16 million euros in humanitarian aid, funds that were to be channeled through the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
