On March 2, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Germany, Poland, Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden had agreed to deepen nuclear cooperation with Paris. That could include joint nuclear drills, information sharing and, ultimately, the temporary deployment of French nuclear-capable Rafale fighter jets in allied countries — a concept Macron called “forward nuclear deterrence.” Norway has since joined the initiative.
“The French initiative does not replace or overlap with NATO’s nuclear deterrence. Finland’s foremost priority is to act as part of NATO and the European Union,” Stubb said. “Finland does not intend to station nuclear weapons on its territory in peacetime.”
The two countries will in the coming months set up a so-called nuclear steering group to discuss implementation.