Finland denies plans to deploy nuclear weapons in the country once it joins NATO

MADRID, 7 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto assured on Monday that Helsinki has no plans to allow the deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory once it joins the ranks of NATO, amid tensions over the war in Ukraine.

Niinisto stressed that nuclear weapons are an essential part of the Atlantic Alliance's deterrence capabilities, although he stressed that "there are no signs" that any country is going to offer them to Finland for deployment.

Thus, the Finnish president has emphasized that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and has advocated avoiding such a conflict, as reported by the Finnish public broadcaster, Yle.

Niinisto has also stated that the country's possible accession to NATO has made progress in recent weeks and has pointed out that it will materialize "in a reasonable period of time", amid the criticism recently leveled by Turkey against Helsinki.

On the other hand, he lamented that "there is no end in sight" for the war in Ukraine and stressed that Ukraine has the right to defend its territorial integrity against the Russian offensive, unleashed on February 24 by order of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

Along these lines, he has applauded the efforts of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, to maintain a dialogue with Moscow. "This is meant solely to stop the killing. I think it's a worthwhile goal," he has settled.