--- title: "Stubb: Finland officially joins French nuclear deterrence initiative" description: "Finnish President Alexander Stubb announced that the country has officially joined the French nuclear deterrence initiative, with official implementation work beginning last week." date: 2026-11-02T11:32:29.514Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/finland-officially-joins-french-nuclear-deterrence-initiative tags: [finland, france, nuclear-deterrence, nato, stubb, ukraine] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Stubb: Finland officially joins French nuclear deterrence initiative ![Finnish President Alexander Stubb delivering a statement on nuclear deterrence](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/02/finlyandiya-prisoedinita-k-francuzskoy-initsiative-po-yadernomu-sderzhivaniyu/finlyandiya-prisoedinita-k-francuzskoy-initsiative-po-yadernomu-sderzhivaniyu-1.webp) ## Key Points - Finnish President Alexander Stubb announced on November 2 that the country had joined the French nuclear deterrence initiative. - Work to implement cooperation at the official level, according to Stubb, began last week; the full scope is still taking shape. - Finland will carefully assess the consequences of various options before making decisions; cooperation aims to strengthen collective deterrence. - Stubb emphasized the central role of NATO and US extended deterrence, noting that the US role is weakening. - Last week, Stubb held a phone call with Putin alongside the Norwegian prime minister; leaders reaffirmed unwavering support for Ukraine. 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. ## Accounts differ ### Number of countries that joined the French nuclear deterrence initiative - **French President E. Macron (according to TASS):** Seven European countries have joined France's initiative ([news.rambler.ru](https://news.rambler.ru/army/57343606-finlyandiya-nachala-rabotu-po-realizatsii-initsiativy-o-yadernom-sderzhivanii/)) - **Charter97 publication:** Ten countries have joined the initiative proposed by Paris ([charter97.org](https://charter97.org/ru/news/2026/9/14/698407/)) *Where they agree:* Finland has joined the initiative — this is confirmed by all sources ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Финляндия присоединилась к ядерному сдерживанию Франции](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/finlyandiya-doluchilasya-dernogo-strimuvannya-1793618686.html) - Primary source: Stubb's statement on November 2 at the opening of the 258th defense course, start of official work last week, context of aid to Ukraine. - [Стубб: Финляндия присоединилась к инициативе Парижа о ядерном сдерживании](https://www.pnp.ru/in-world/stubb-finlyandiya-prisoedinilas-k-iniciative-parizha-o-yadernom-sderzhivanii.html) - Confirms Stubb's statement (TASS quote), Macron's 'advanced deterrence' concept, Finland's participation in September. - [Финляндия начала работу по реализации инициативы о ядерном сдерживании](https://news.rambler.ru/army/57343606-finlyandiya-nachala-rabotu-po-realizatsii-initsiativy-o-yadernom-sderzhivanii/) - TASS: start of implementation last week, bilateral nature according to Defense Minister Häkkänen, Ministry of Defense report in September, seven countries according to Macron. - [Финляндия присоединилась к инициативе Франции по ядерному сдерживанию](https://charter97.org/ru/news/2026/9/14/698407/) - Points to ten participating countries — discrepancy with the figure in source 3, reflected in versions. ## FAQ ### When did Finland join the French nuclear deterrence initiative? President Alexander Stubb announced the accession on November 2 at the opening of the 258th National Defense Course in Helsinki; according to him, official implementation work began last week. The Finnish Ministry of Defense reported the accession back in September. ### What format of cooperation with France has been defined? According to Stubb, the full scope of cooperation is still taking shape; before making decisions, Finland will carefully assess the consequences of various options. Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen explained that the cooperation will be bilateral. ### How does Stubb assess the role of NATO and the US in Finland's deterrence? He recalled that US extended deterrence also brings the country under nuclear protection, and NATO membership plays a central role. At the same time, he noted that the US role is weakening and Europe is relying more on its own forces. ### What did Stubb say about the conversation with Putin? Last week, he spoke with Vladimir Putin by phone along with the Prime Minister of Norway; the leaders stated that support for Ukraine remains unwavering.