First modification:
For these two Scandinavian countries, which say they fear an attack from Russia if they decide to join NATO, the signing of a formal defense agreement with the United Kingdom serves to send a clear signal to Moscow. At the same time, it comes at the right time for London, which, in the context of Brexit, wants to strengthen its role in European defense.
The United Kingdom has officially committed itself to defending Sweden and Finland in the event of military aggression.
On Wednesday, May 11, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, met successively with the Swedish Prime Minister, Magdalena Andersson, and with the Finnish President, Sauli Niinisto, to sign defense and security pacts.
While Sweden and Finland are considering putting aside their neutrality status and formalizing their request to join NATO in the coming days, Boris Johnson traveled to Stockholm and Helsinki to assure them of their military protection.
The head of the British Government stated in a statement that these agreements will serve to strengthen “the defenses of northern Europe against new threats.”
The signing of new security declarations with Sweden and Finland is a symbol of the everlasting assurance between our nations.
They are a long term assurance to bolster military ties and global stability, and fortify Europe’s defenses for generations to come.
🇬🇧🇸🇪🇫🇮 pic.twitter.com/XNH6oeqNLl
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) May 11, 2022
“This is not a short-term agreement, but a long-term commitment to strengthen military ties and global stability, and to fortify Europe’s defenses for generations to come,” he added.
Period of “risk” for the two Scandinavian countries before a possible entry into NATO
The change in position of Sweden and Finland and their willingness to join NATO comes after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. But worried about Moscow’s reactions, both countries welcomed the British initiative as a guarantee of security.
And it is that before these two Nordic countries -both belonging to the European Union- can form part of the Atlantic Alliance, there will be an intermediate period between the moment in which the request is presented and the moment in which the parliaments of the 30 members of NATO ratify it.
Both nations say they could find themselves in a difficult position against Russia during this interim period, which could last up to a year.
“One always measures friendships by how they show up in bad weather.” Finland and the UK are great friends and strong partners. We work to deepen our security cooperation. pic.twitter.com/ZrAFYGnxvY
— Sauli Niinistö (@niinisto) May 11, 2022
Russia has already made it clear that it will not sit idly by and it is in this context that Sweden and Finland have asked for security guarantees (Finland shares a 1,340 km border with Russia).
Several NATO member states, such as the United States and Germany, but also the other Scandinavian countries, have already indicated that they will support these two nations during their accession process. However, this pact signed with the United Kingdom is exceptional.
The Swedish prime minister said that “Putin intended to cause division, but he achieved the opposite.” “Today we are here more united than ever,” she added.
A strengthening of the United Kingdom’s military role in Europe
The British prime minister also proposed increasing the deployment of British troops and military assets in the region.
The UK is already present in the Baltic Sea areas through the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), made up (in addition to the UK) of 10 Northern European nations: Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway.
In 2017, Sweden and Finland joined this military force, which is designed to be more flexible and responsive than the Atlantic Alliance. It uses NATO rules and doctrine, so it can operate jointly with this organization, with UN forces or other multinational military coalitions.
Since 2014, the Joint Expeditionary Force has been conducting major joint military exercises and cooperating in the fight against cyber or hybrid attacks.
with AP
#formally #commits #defend #Sweden #Finland #case #military #attack