Britain promises to help Sweden and Finland if attacked
The United Kingdom has promised to come to Sweden and Finland for help should the countries be exposed to attack.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson and the Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson signed a security agreement outside Stockholm on Thursday.
Sweden and Finland are considering joining NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
Johnson later made a similar defense commitment to Finland, where he met with President Sauli Niinisto.
The agreement with Sweden will “strengthen northern Europe’s defense, in the face of renewed threats,” Johnson said in a statement, adding that it “is a symbol of the eternal assurance between our nations.”
“This is not a short-term stop, but a long-term commitment to strengthen military ties and global stability, and strengthen Europe’s defense for future generations,” Johnson said in the statement. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer-long land border with Russia.
“And whether it is in the event of a disaster or a military attack, what we are saying today is that, at the request of the other party, we would come to the aid of the other parties,” Johnson said at a joint news conference. He said the war in Ukraine was Russian President Vladimir “Putin’s bloodthirsty campaign against a sovereign nation.”
Andersson said: “Putin thought he could cause division, but he has achieved the opposite. We stand here today more united than ever.”
The Kremlin has warned of “military and political repercussions” if Sweden and Finland decide to join NATO. Andersson said Russia would increase its “military presence in this region if Sweden and, or, Finland submit an application.”
Should they apply, there will be an interim period from the time an application is submitted until all 30 NATO member parliaments have ratified it. The two Nordic countries are expected to announce their positions on NATO membership in the coming days.
“If Finland takes this historic step, it is for the safety of our own citizens,” Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told a news conference after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo overnight: “Joining NATO will strengthen the entire international community. stands for common values. “
Johnson met Andersson in Harpsund, the Swedish prime minister’s rural area about 90 kilometers southwest of Stockholm. He met Niinisto, who plays a significant role in Finland’s foreign and security policy decision, at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on Thursday.
Johnson, who said Putin was “a tyrant from the 21st century”, also offered during his one-day visit to increase the deployment of British troops and military assets to the region.
“And in times of crisis, cooperation becomes even more important. And this applies not least to our international defense partnerships. And Sweden’s partnership with the United Kingdom and with NATO has been crucial during these exceptional times, says Andersson.
The United Kingdom is already present in the Baltic Sea areas with the Joint Expeditionary Force, which consists of 10 northern European nations: Great Britain, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway.
In 2017, Sweden and Finland joined the British-led military rapid reaction force, which is designed to be more flexible and respond faster than the larger NATO alliance. It uses NATO standards and doctrines, so it can work in cooperation with NATO, the UN or other multinational coalitions. Fully operational since 2018, the force has carried out a number of exercises both independently and in collaboration with NATO.
Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Japan contributed to this report.