BORIS JOHNSON TO DEFEND SWEDEN AND FINLAND IF ATTACKED BY RUSSIA
BORIS JOHNSON TO DEFEND SWEDEN AND FINLAND IF ATTACKED BY RUSSIA
UK commits to defending Sweden and Finland if they are attacked
Boris Johnson to sign bilateral security deals with Nordic countries as they weigh joining NATO in the face of Russian invasion of Ukraine.
UK Prime Minister Visits Sweden And Finland
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a joint press conference with Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, in Harpsund, Sweden, May 11, 2022 | WPA Pool photo by Frank Augstein via Getty Images
Britain will provide military assistance to Sweden and Finland if they come under attack, including during their transition to NATO membership, Boris Johnson said.
The British prime minister is visiting the two countries Wednesday to sign bilateral security deals that would see London providing military assistance upon request from its two Nordic partners.
The agreement is reciprocal, but mostly intended to guarantee the security of Sweden and Finland during the sensitive process of applying for NATO membership — a move observers think is all but certain and could be announced within days. Russia’s foreign ministry has issued veiled threats of “consequences” against Stockholm and Helsinki if they join NATO.
“It’s worth emphasizing that if Sweden were attacked and looked to us for help and support, then we would provide it, but it’s up to Sweden to make the request and to spell out exactly what support is requested,” Johnson told reporters during a joint press conference with his Swedish counterpart Magdalena Andersson at her Harpsund country retreat.
He added: “What we are saying emphatically is in the event of a disaster or in the event of an attack upon Sweden, then the U.K. would come to the assistance of Sweden with whatever Sweden requested.”
Johnson’s visit takes place as the two countries explore what security reassurances they should expect from Western partners if they join the transatlantic alliance.
Under the deal, Britain and the two countries commit to intensifying intelligence sharing, joint military training and work to counter cyberattacks.
But the extent to which Britain would come to Sweden’s and Finland’s aid remains unclear. Johnson refused to clarify if the U.K.’s assistance would include nuclear weapons. And Andersson insisted the agreement with the Brits is “important” when asked if it made a tangible difference to security in the country.
“Are we safer with this declaration? Yes we are. Of course this means something. This is important whatever policy choice we make in Sweden,” she said.
In Helsinki, Johnson described the pact as “an enduring assurance” between Britain and the two Scandinavian countries, rather than a “short-term stop-gap” while they consider NATO membership.
Addressing those who harbor misgivings about the possibility of Finland abandoning its long-held policy of neutrality, the Finnish president, Sauli Niinistö, said joining NATO is not a move “against anyone” nor a “zero-sum game.”
According to Niinistö, Finland’s neutrality was the product of Finland’s own will, and the picture changed when Russia demanded last year that NATO should not accept new members, because that amounted to removing Finland’s will.
“There’s no doubt in anybody’s mind that Finland is part of the West, like we have learned to call it. So the change would not be that radical,” he added. “When we think about security we think how to defend our country. And what we want is to maximize defense of our country.”
Sweden, Finland and the U.K. already have close security ties, as members of the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a military alliance of 10 Northern European countries. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has boosted concerns in Sweden and Finland that their bilateral security agreements with other countries do not offer the same level of protection as Article 5 of NATO’s charter, which states that an armed attack upon one NATO member would be considered an attack against all of them.
