Prospect of Russia using nuclear arms in Ukraine fuels Finland’s Nato debate

The view outside the Finnish parliament during the debate to apply to join Nato on 20 April 2022. Photograph: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images

The prospect of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine is a key factor behind Finland’s debate over whether to join Nato, the country’s foreign minister has said.

Pekka Haavisto is having a busy few weeks. As Finland’s foreign minister, Haavisto, 64, may soon oversee the biggest political shift the country has experienced since it joined the EU almost three decades ago. “Finland is currently making its choices. And among those choices, Nato membership is one,” Haavisto told the Guardian in an interview on Thursday.