Supporting appeal against nuclear weapons in Finland
The Party of the European Left express its support and signed the appeal against nuclear weapons in Finland, see below. The Open Letter was initiated by Ulla Klötzer, Lea Launokari – Women for Peace Finland – active in Global Women for Peace United Against NATO (GWUAN) and Thomas Wallgren – Philosophers for Peace – Finland.
open letter to the government of finland and the finish parliament
We, the undersigned organisations, movements, groups from different parts of the world strongly appeal to the government of Finland and the Finnish Parliament, NOT to approve the bill presented by the government that would remove the national ban from Finnish legislation preventing import, transport, deployment and storage of nuclear explosives on Finnish territory.
By entering NATO in 2023 and signing a Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the USA also in 2023, Finland gave up its longstanding policy of non-alliance and accepted nuclear deterrence as a cornerstone of its defence and foreign policy. The bill now proposed seeks to eliminate one more element of restriction on Finnish participation in nuclear aggression. If the bill is passed it opens up for US and French nuclear weapons on Finnish territory.
The decision would have far-reaching consequences worldwide. It would be a clear support for US and France actively modernizing and expanding their nuclear arsenals and for a new nuclear arms race worldwide in a situation where the last nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) expired on February 5, 2026, without any extension or replacement agreement.
For decades, Finland has been strongly committed to not allowing nuclear weapons on its territory. This policy has been a highly valued part of Finland’s international identity, responsible security policy and the effort to promote nuclear disarmament in accordance with UN principles.
Today’s extremely uncertain political situation is in dire need of countries that promote dialogue, negotiations and confidence-building measures – not increased armaments and a policy of intimidation.
We strongly urge you to reject the proposal for a new Finnish Nuclear Energy Act promoting a new nuclear arms race that would harm the international reputation of Your country.
De-escalation, stability, diplomacy, international agreements should be prioritized to ensure nuclear disarmament and security for all!
April 30, 2026
Respectfully,
Party of the European Left
Walter BAIER, President
