Moscow: Russia said on Friday it saw Finland's plan to lift restrictions on hosting nuclear weapons as a potential threat.

"By deploying nuclear weapons on its territory, Finland is beginning to threaten us," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, including from AFP.

"If Finland threatens us, we will take appropriate measures," he added. 

Finland said Thursday it planned to lift restrictions prohibiting nuclear weapons on its soil, in order to bring the country in line with NATO's deterrence policy after joining the alliance in 2023.

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"The government proposal would make it possible in future to bring a nuclear weapon into Finland, or to transport, deliver or possess one in Finland, if it is connected to the military defence of Finland," Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen told reporters.

"In all other situations than these grounds for exception, the import, transport, delivery and possession of nuclear explosives would continue to be prohibited," he said.

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Hakkanen said Finland's and Europe's security environment had "fundamentally and significantly changed and deteriorated" following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Nordic country dropped decades of military non-alliance to join NATO in April 2023.

But Helsinki was only able to familiarise itself with NATO's nuclear defence after it became a full member because it is classified information, Hakkanen said.