A Russian military expert criticized talks about the potential deployment of British and French nuclear weapons in Sweden as suicidal for the kingdom. According to Stepanov, Sweden could deploy freshly presented long-range cruise missiles with nuclear warheads that can be carried by French-made Rafale or Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets. Deploying British submarines with ballistic missiles in Swedish waters is also being considered. And Finland can become another NATO member after Sweden to host the alliance’s nuclear weapons, possibly as part of the US Nuclear Sharing program, the expert surmised, now that the Nordic country is buying 64 F-35s. "De facto, a north European `nuclear fist’ is being established for priority projection of threats on Russia," Stepanov concluded.