British Soldiers Could Back Swedish, Finnish Armies If Attacked, Johnson Says

Britain is pledging to come to the aid of Sweden and Finland if either country comes under Russian attack, with Prime Ministers Johnson and Andersson signing a security assurance deal outside Stockholm Wednesday before Mr. Johnson flew to Helsinki to ink a similar deal with Finland and meet the Finnish president, Sauli Niinistö.Sweden and Finland are pondering whether to join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The new bilateral agreement, made outside the framework of the military alliance, is meant to “fortify northern Europe’s defenses” in the face of renewed threats, Mr. Johnson said in a statement, adding it “is a symbol of the everlasting assurance between our nations.”“This is not a short-term stop gap as you consider NATO membership,” Mr. Johnson told reporters in Finland, “but an enduring assurance between two nations, an assurance that brings us ever closer as we face the challenges of today, the threats of tomorrow, side by side.”Earlier, at a joint press conference with Ms. Andersson in Sweden, the British prime minister said that “whether it’s in the event of a disaster or a military attack, what we’re saying today is that upon request from the other party, we would come to the other parties’ assistance,” Mr. Johnson told a joint news conference. He called the war in Ukraine Vladimir Putin’s “bloodthirsty campaign against a sovereign nation.”“We have been forced to discuss how best to fortify our shared defenses against the empty conceit of a 21st century tyrant,” Mr. Johnson said. He offered to deploy more British air, land, and sea forces in the region. In a clear confirmation that support could mean British boots on the ground, he added: “What we are saying emphatically is that, in the event of an attack upon Sweden, the UK would come to the assistance of Sweden with whatever Sweden requested.”Ms. Andersson said: “Putin thought he could cause division, but he has achieved the opposite. We stand here today more united than ever.”Finnish daily Iltalehti reported that on Thursday President Niinistö will present his own position on the prospect of his country joining NATO. Mr. Niinistö said that at the end of last year Russia announced it wanted security guarantees that Finland and Sweden would not join NATO but now, having attacked Ukraine, he urged Russia to “look in the mirror.”The Kremlin has warned of “military and political repercussions” if Sweden and Finland decide to join NATO. Ms. Andersson said Russia would increase its “military presence in this region if Sweden and/or Finland sends in an application.”Should they apply, there will be an interim period lasting from when an application has been handed in until all 30 NATO members’ parliaments have ratified it. The two Nordic countries are expected to announce their positions on NATO membership in the coming days.Mr. Johnson met with Ms. Andersson in Harpsund, the country retreat of Swedish prime ministers, about 55 miles southwest of Stockholm. He held talks with Mr. Niinisto, who has a significant role in Finland’s foreign and security policy decisions, at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki later in the day.Britain is already present in the Baltic Sea areas with the Joint Expeditionary Force, which consists of 10 Northern European nations: the United Kingdom, 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 more quickly than the larger NATO alliance. It uses NATO standards and doctrine, so it can operate in conjunction with NATO, U.N. or other multinational coalitions. Fully operational since 2018, the force has held a number of exercises both independently and in cooperation with NATO.

British Soldiers Could Back Swedish, Finnish Armies If Attacked, Johnson Says

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