The move comes when Sweden and Finland are considering NATO membership following warnings from Russia
Britain has agreed on “mutual security guarantees” with Sweden and Finland, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed on Wednesday, a few days before Stockholm and Helsinki will announce their decision to continue NATO membership.
Johnson is visiting both countries today to sign “historic” declarations, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
According to Downing Street, the new pacts “will intensify intelligence sharing, accelerate joint military training, exercises and deployments, and strengthen security in all three countries and northern Europe.”
Britain also intends to “support the two nations’ armed forces should they either face crises or come under attack,” the office said. This declaration comes as both Finland and Sweden have previously expressed concern about possible reprisals from Russia if they were to apply for membership in NATO.
During a press conference, Johnson claimed that the Russian military attack on Ukraine – which he described as “Putin’s bloodthirsty campaign against a sovereign nation” – put an end to the hope that peace in Europe would last.
“The war in Ukraine is forcing us all to make difficult decisions. But sovereign nations must be free to make these decisions without fear or influence or threat of retaliation,” the British prime minister said, adding that he was “very happy” to sign the declaration.
The news of the security pacts comes amid reports that several other countries will soon join the UK to provide security assistance to Sweden and Finland. According to the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang, the Nordic NATO countries Norway, Denmark and Iceland are working together with their neighbors on a joint political declaration that can provide Stockholm and Helsinki with further assurances in the coming months.
On May 6, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki assured Sweden and Finland that the United States will be able to find ways “to address any concerns that both countries may have about the time between an application for NATO membership and the formal accession to the alliance.”
In the midst of Moscow’s ongoing military offensive in Ukraine, both Sweden and Finland, which have a long border with Russia, have seen a dramatic change in public opinion, with the majority of the population now supporting joining the US-led bloc, according to surveys. This led the authorities in both countries to reconsider their long-standing alliance freedom policy.
Sweden’s ruling party will reveal its stance on NATO membership on May 15, three days after a similar move is expected by Finland. While the Swedish Social Democrats, according to their general secretary Tobias Baudin, have not yet reached a final decision, the Finnish government has reportedly formulated its position and that is “that Finland applies for membership”. Parliament is also expected to give its approval.
In early April, the head of the military bloc, Jens Stoltenberg, said that NATO “will warmly welcome” Finland and Sweden if they apply to become members, and is prepared to make a decision on membership “fairly quickly”.
Russia believes that NATO’s further expansion is a direct threat to its own national security and “to the entire security architecture”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned in April that Moscow would “take further action” to make its defense on the West Bank “more sophisticated” if Finland and Sweden join the bloc.
(RT.com)
Source: sn.dk