STT: British Prime Minister Johnson visits Finland, Sweden on Wednesday News
The unexpected visit comes when the two Nordic countries enter a crucial week to decide on NATO membership.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson is expected to visit Finland on Wednesday, according to the news agency STT, although no official confirmation has yet been issued.
Referring to sources, STT added that Johnson also plans to visit Sweden during the same trip.
The unexpected visits are probably related to the security policy situation after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, and in particular the possibility that the two Nordic nations will apply to join NATO as both countries enter a crucial week in the decision-making process.
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At a joint press conference with the Finnish Minister of Defense, Antti Kaikkonen (Cen) in Helsinki last Wednesday, Wallace added that this would be the case regardless of whether any country was a member of NATO or not.
STT also reported last week that the United States, Germany and France have joined the United Kingdom and promised military support to Finland during a possible NATO accession period, if such support was needed.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto (Green) did not confirm or deny the STT report on Johnson’s visit during a parliamentary debate on Thursday, but said that many members of the alliance have said they understand Finnish and Swedish concerns about Russia’s reaction to the two countries joining NATO.
“The comments of the British Secretary of Defense Wallace during his visit to Finland show that the major NATO nations have a strong interest in the NATO membership process going forward without any major distractions, and that they are ready to play their part in ensuring that,” Haavisto told STT last week.
Defense Minister Kaikkonen also declined to confirm the accuracy of the STT report on US, French, German and British support during the accession process.
“We have good partners, and in such turbulent times they are of course of great value. We may be able to tell you a little about these issues at a later time,” said Kaikkonen.