Russia warns of response to Finland–France nuclear initiative, calls stance ‘aggressive & hostile’

Russia has warned that Finland’s growing nuclear cooperation with France will be factored into Moscow’s military and political planning. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Helsinki’s participation in the French nuclear deterrence initiative an “aggressive, hostile” move and said Russia would respond according to the risks and actions involved. The warning follows a meeting of a French-Finnish nuclear planning group in Paris on October 27. The details of their proposed cooperation have not been publicly disclosed, adding to tensions between Moscow and NATO’s northern flank.