Finland’s presidential candidates disagree on nuclear weapons transfer

(10 Feb 2024) RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Helsinki - 10 February 2024 1. People passing by election posters of presidential candidates Alexander Stubb and Pekka Haavisto outside Presidential palace 2. Pan of Haavisto and Stubb on poster ASSOCIATED PRESS Espoo - 10 February 2024 3. Various of Stub speaking during campaign event 4. Woman filming 5. Tilt up of man listening to Stubb speaking 6. Various of Stubb taking pictures with supporters 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexander Stubb, Finnish presidential candidate: “Nuclear weapons are a strong element of our deterrence and our security. We signed our NATO agreement without any kind of limits. We (Stubb and Haavisto) also agree that no one is offering us nuclear weapons. And we also agree that we don’t want any nuclear weapons. We also agree that we are a part of, NATO’s, nuclear planning. And that means that we can take different roles. You know, in a crisis situation, it could be, a role of basically, transporting nuclear weapons. It could be a role of not doing that. It could be, a roll of coin in one direction or another.” ASSOCIATED PRESS Lahti - 10 February 2024 9. Various of Haavisto speaking during campaign event 10. Women applauding 11. Various of Haavisto taking pictures with supporters 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Pekka Haavisto, Finnish presidential candidate: “I think there hasn’t been any need to transport nuclear weapons to Finland or over Finland. As I’ve seen during NATO negotiations, the current nuclear policies of NATO are well established and there is no need of changing them.” ASSOCIATED PRESS Helsinki - 10 February 2024 12. Wide of people walking 13. Man playing accordion STORYLINE: Finns will choose either of two experienced politicians on Sunday to be their next head of state, whose main task will be to steer the Nordic country’s foreign and security policy now that it is a member of NATO, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  Ex-Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, on the centre right, and former foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, from the green left, largely agree on Finland’s foreign policy and security priorities. These include maintaining a hard line toward Moscow and Russia’s current leadership, strengthening security ties with Washington, and the need to help Ukraine both militarily and at a civilian level. Stubb and Haavisto differ in their stance on the hypothetical question of whether Finland, a NATO newcomer, would allow the transportation of the alliance’s nuclear weapons through its territory. “We are a part of, NATO’s, nuclear planning, Stubb told AP before his campaign event in Espoo. And that means that we can take different roles… In a crisis situation, it could be, a role of basically, transporting nuclear weapons. It could be a role of not doing that. It could be a roll of coin in one direction or another.” Haavisto believes there is no need to change NATO’s policy of handling nuclear weapons. “I think there hasn’t been any need to transport nuclear weapons to Finland or over Finland, he told AP after campaigning in Lahti on Saturday. As I’ve seen during NATO negotiations, the current nuclear policies of NATO are well established and there is no need of changing them.” Unlike in most European countries, the president of Finland holds executive power in formulating foreign and security policy together with the government, especially concerning countries outside the European Union such as the United States, Russia and China. Video shot for AP by Kostya Manenkov =========================================================== Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: ​​ Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive: