Finnish president calls for dialogue for attaining peace in Ukraine
Niinisto said although Finland has not set any advance restrictions on its upcoming membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it has no intentions of bringing nuclear weapons to its territory.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Monday underlined the need to assess the possibility of peace in the Ukraine conflict "also elsewhere than on the military front."
Niinisto said this while addressing the formal opening of a national defence course for the political, economic, and civil service elite.
He said that he "regards as positive" the pursuit by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to maintain dialogue with Moscow.
"Peace is such an important goal that we must not save any efforts to attain it," he said.
"Talk of nuclear weapons has quickly become commonplace in recent days, also here in Finland. I consider this a dangerous development."
Niinisto said although Finland does not set any advance restrictions on its upcoming membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Finland has no intentions of bringing nuclear weapons to its territory.
Since 1961, each of such courses has brought together 50 politicians, civil servants, and representatives of business and industry for three weeks of tuition and socialising.