COPENHAGEN, Denmark AP - Britain pledged to defend Sweden if the country came under attack, with prime ministers Boris Johnson and Magdalena Andersson signing a security assurance outside Stockholm on Wednesday.
Sweden and Finland are considering joining NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Johnson is expected to make a similar defense commitment to Finland, where he will meet President Sauli Niinisto.
Sweden and Finland prepared simultaneous applications for NATO membership in April 2022 from the archives.
Nordic neighbors Sweden and Finland take important steps toward a potential NATO membership in the near future in April 2022.
Johnson said in a statement that the agreement will strengthen northern Europe's defences in the face of renewed threats, and that it is a symbol of the everlasting assurance between our nations. Johnson said that these are not a short-term stop-gap, but rather a long-term commitment to bolster military ties and global stability, and fortify Europe's defenses for generations to come. Finland shares a 1,340 kilometer, or 830 mile, land border with Russia.
"Whether it's a military attack or a disaster, what we are saying today is that upon request from the other party, we would come to the other parties' assistance," Johnson told a joint news conference. He said that the war in Ukraine is Russian President Vladimir Putin's bloodthirsty campaign against a sovereign nation. Andersson said that Putin thought he could cause division, but he has achieved the opposite. We are more united today than ever. The Kremlin warned of military and political consequences if Sweden and Finland decide to join NATO. Andersson said Russia would increase its military presence in this region if Sweden and Finland sends in an application. There will be an interim period from when an application has been handed in 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.
In Harpsund, the country retreat of Swedish prime ministers, he met Andersson, which is located about 90 kilometers southwest of Stockholm.
Johnson, who said Putin was a 21st century tyrant, also offered to increase the deployments of British troops and military assets to the region.
Britain is already present in the Baltic Sea, consists of 10 northern European nations: the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway.
Sweden and Finland joined the British military rapid response force in 2017 that was designed to be more flexible and respond faster than the larger NATO alliance. It uses NATO standards and doctrine to operate, so it can be used in conjunction with NATO, the United Nations or other multinational coalitions. Since 2018, the force has participated in a number of exercises independently and in cooperation with NATO.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine seems to have alienated Putin's few friends among Western allies.
Norway s Premier sees Putin operating from a position of weakness at the Ukraine frontier.