Boris Johnson to visit Sweden and Finland when considering NATO membership
The Prime Minister will visit the allies Sweden and Finland to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Boris Johnson will meet leaders from both countries during a whirlwind 24 hours.
With Queen’s Speech debates in the Commons implying that there are no prime ministerial issues on Wednesday, Johnson will take the opportunity to refocus the spotlight on Europe’s response to the war on the eastern continent.
The visit comes when Sweden and Finland are considering whether to apply for NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
No. 10 said it was “disinformation” to suggest that Johnson was trying to put pressure on them to join the Western military alliance.
“It’s not just about Ukraine but about Europe’s security more generally,” said the Prime Minister’s official spokesman.
“We understand the positions of Sweden and Finland and that is why the Prime Minister will discuss these broader security issues.”
Support for joining NATO has risen sharply in both countries since Russia invaded Ukraine, despite their previous tradition of neutrality.
In her speech at the Mansion House last month, Secretary of State Liz Truss said that if they applied for membership, they should be admitted “as soon as possible.”
Johnson held talks with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in March as part of a meeting between the Joint Expeditionary Force nations, which include Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway.
After the meeting, Downing Street said the two leaders agreed that “Putin’s invasion had dramatically changed the landscape for European security.”
Finland shares a long land border with Russia and is only about 400 km from St. Petersburg.