Finland shelters under French nuclear umbrella amid Russian, US uncertainty

Finland has agreed to join France’s Forward Deterrence Initiative, extending the coverage of the French nuclear deterrent to eleven European countries. The announcement came as part of a new strategic partnership between Finland and France, formalised by the countries’ foreign ministers in Helsinki on Monday. Finland becomes the 10th European country to join the French initiative, which comes as Russia is viewed as a growing threat and increasing concern over the commitment of the United States to help protect the continent. “Finland has decided to join forward deterrence,” according to their joint statement. Finnish President Alexander ‌‌Stubb wrote on social media that the initiative is “first and foremost about strengthening European security”.