Finnish President Alexander Stubb said today that a "new era of nuclear weapons" has begun, after US President Donald Trump repeatedly stated that he intends to resume nuclear weapons tests, reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
"The logic of deterrence, as well as strategic stability between superpowers, is undergoing continuous changes," Stubb said in his speech in Helsinki. "We have entered a new era in terms of nuclear weapons, the importance of which, unfortunately, is increasing", he stressed.
Last week, the US president's announcement to resume nuclear weapons testing, without clarifying what exactly he intends, has caused great concern and outrage around the world. It remains doubtful whether the tests in question refer to weapons capable of carrying a nuclear warhead or whether they will be actual nuclear tests, which the US has not undertaken since 1992, notes Agence France-Presse.
Trump's decision comes at a time when the rhetoric about nuclear weapons has periodically come to the fore since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia has also undertaken tests of nuclear-powered weapons, such as the unmanned underwater torpedo "Poseidon" and the "Burevestnik" cruise missile.
No country has officially tested nuclear weapons in three decades, with the exception of North Korea, which tested a nuclear weapon six times between 2006 and 2017. Russia, for its part, has not conducted such tests since 1990, and China since 1996, AFP reminds.
Donald Trump also assured on Sunday that Beijing and Moscow are conducting nuclear tests without disclosing them publicly, as a result of which, in his opinion, the United States should do the same. This claim was denied by China.
Finland, which shares a 1,340 km border with Russia, should consider together with its allies how to strengthen its military deterrence capability, as well as how to contain a possible escalation, AFP points out. The country joined NATO in 2023 after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, thus turning its back on decades of military neutrality.