Britain pledged to defend Sweden if the country came under attack, with Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Magdalena Andersson signing a security assurance deal outside Stockholm on Wednesday.
Sweden and Finland are pondering whether to join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Johnson is later expected to make a similar defense commitment to Finland, where he will meet with President Sauli Niinisto.
The agreement will “fortify northern Europe’s defenses, in the face of renewed threats,” Johnson said in a statement, adding it “is a symbol of the everlasting assurance between our nations.”
“These are not a short-term stop-gap, but a long-term commitment to bolster military ties and global stability, and fortify Europe’s defenses for generations to come,” Johnson said in the statement. Finland shares a 830-mile land border with Russia.
“And 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,” 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: “Putin thought he could cause division, but he has achieved the opposite. We stand here today more united than ever.”
1936: Princess Elizabeth sitting on a garden seat with two corgi dogs at her home on 145 Piccadilly, London, in July 1936.
1936: Princess Elizabeth walks one of her corgi dogs in London's Hyde Park in 1936.
1944: Princess Elizabeth holding Sue, a corgi pup, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on May 30, 1944.
1945: Princess Elizabeth, standing by an Auxiliary Territorial Service first aid truck wearing an officer's uniform.
1947: Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip leaving Westminister Abbey after their royal wedding on Nov. 20, 1947.
1947: Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, with her husband Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, after their marriage on Nov. 20, 1947.
1951: Princess Elizabeth of England represents the King at a colorful trooping ceremony on June 7, 1951.
1952: Queen Elizabeth II of England at Balmoral Castle with one of her corgis on Sept. 28, 1952.
1953: Queen Elizabeth II wearing a gown designed by Norman Hartnell for her coronation ceremony on June 4, 1953.
1960: The queen mother (left) with young Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II at Princess Margaret's wedding at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, 1960.
1965: Queen Elizabeth II arrives in Munich on an official visit to West Germany on May 27, 1965.
1967: The queen during the 1967 State Opening of Parliament.
1967: London, Liverpool Street Station, Queen Elizabeth Ii And Her Dog Gorgie In January 1967. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
1968: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend a service for the Order of St. Michael and St. George at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, on July 24, 1968.
1968: Queen Elizabeth at Liverpool Street Station with two of her pet corgis on Feb. 8, 1968.
1970: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II smiles radiantly during a picture-taking session in the salon at Sandringham House on Feb. 4, 1970. Her pet dog looks up at her.
1970: Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to New Zealand in March 1970.
1972: Queen Elizabeth II with her dogs in her study in 1972.
1972: Queen Elizabeth II with her dogs at Liverpool Street Station in London on Dec. 28, 1972.
1974: Queen Elizabeth ll arrives at Aberdeen Airport with her corgis to start her holidays in Balmoral, Scotland, in 1974.
1976: Queen Elizabeth II with one of her favorite dogs at the Badminton Horse Trials in April 1976.
1977: Queen Elizabeth II poses for a silver jubilee portrait in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace on Feb. 6, 1977.
1978: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England with the Imperial State Crown.
Circa 1980: Queen Elizabeth II relaxes at Sandringham with her corgis.
Circa 1980: Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a green coat and matching hat, laughing as she attends the Royal Windsor Horse Show, held at Home Park in Windsor, Berkshire, England, Great Britain, circa 1980.
1980: Queen Elizabeth II at a banquet during an official visit to Switzerland.
1982: The queen and Prince Philip chatting during the Royal Windsor Horse Show on the grounds of Windsor Castle on May 16, 1982.
1987: The queen in the green room at Windsor Castle on Nov. 20, 1987.
1992: Queen Elizabeth II wearing a formal evening dress for a banquet on board the Royal Yacht Britannia during her visit to France on June 11, 1992.
2004: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II delivers her speech in the chamber of the House of Lords, Westminster, in London on Nov. 23, 2004. Security was the key theme of the queen's speech.
2006: Queen Elizabeth ll wears the Imperial State Crown at the state opening of Parliament on Nov. 15, 2006, in London.
2008: Queen Elizabeth ll attends a state banquet at Brdo Castle on the first day of a state visit to Slovenia on October 21, 2008, in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
2008: Queen Elizabeth II attends a state banquet at the Philharmonic Hall on the first day of a tour of Slovakia on October 23, 2008, in Bratislava, Slovakia.
2010: Queen Elizabeth II leaves the Venue Cymru Arena after a visit on April 27, 2010, in Llandudno, Wales. The queen and Duke of Edinburgh are on a two-day visit to North Wales.
2015: Queen Elizabeth II meets guests during a state banquet at the Schloss Bellevue Palace on the second day of a four-day state visit on June 24, 2015, in Berlin.
2015: Queen Elizabeth II prepares to greet Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev at Buckingham Palace on November 4, 2015, in London.
2016: Queen Elizabeth II tours Queen Mother Square on October 27, 2016, in Poundbury, Dorset.
2018: Queen Elizabeth II and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, visit Chester Town Hall on June 14, 2018, in Chester, England.
2018: Queen Elizabeth II during the state banquet in Buckingham Palace on October 23, 2018, in London, United Kingdom.
2019: Queen Elizabeth II watches her hoses Lancer IV and Tower Bridge compete at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Home Park on May 8, 2019, in Windsor, England.
2019: Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter service at St. George's Chapel on June 17, 2019, in Windsor, England.
2019: Queen Elizabeth II attends the Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2019, in Ascot, England.
2019: Queen Elizabeth II and Charles, Prince of Wales, attend the state opening of Parliament in the House of Lords chamber on December 19, 2019, in London.
2019: Queen Elizabeth II talks to guests at an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace on December 11, 2019, in London.
2020: Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the headquarters of MI5 at Thames House on February 25, 2020, in London. MI5 is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency.
2020: Queen Elizabeth II rides Balmoral Fern, a 14-year-old fell pony, in Windsor Home Park in May 2020 in Windsor, England.
2020: In this photo illustration, Anne, Princess Royal, and Queen Elizabeth II speak to carers via video call to mark Carers Week 2020 on June 11, 2020, in London.
2020: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II speaks with staff during a visit to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down science park on October 15, 2020, near Salisbury, England.
2020: Queen Elizabeth II (left) talks with Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, as they wait to thank local volunteers and key workers for the work they are doing during the coronavirus pandemic and over Christmas in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle on December 8, 2020, in Windsor, England.
2021: In this undated image released on March 7, 2021, Queen Elizabeth II signs her annual Commonwealth Day Message in St. George's Hall at Windsor Castle, to mark Commonwealth Day, in Windsor, England.
2021: Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the Royal Australian Air Force Memorial on March 31, 2021, near Egham, England.
2021: Queen Elizabeth II follows Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh's coffin during his funeral at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021, in Windsor, England.
2021: Queen Elizabeth II watches as pallbearers carry the coffin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, into St. George’s Chapel by the pallbearers during his funeral at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021, in Windsor, United Kingdom.
2021: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, right, walks with U.S. President Joe Biden during his visit to Windsor Castle, near London, on Sunday, June 13, 2021.
2021: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, greet guests at a reception for the Global Investment Summit in Windsor Castle, Windsor, England, on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021.
2022: In this photo released by Royal Windsor Horse Show on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, and taken in March 2022, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II poses for a photo with her Fell ponies Bybeck Nightingale, right, and Bybeck Katie on the grounds of Windsor Castle in Windsor.
The Kremlin has warned of “military and political repercussions” if Sweden and Finland decide to join NATO. Andersson said that 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.
He met with Andersson in Harpsund, the country retreat of Swedish prime ministers, which is located about 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Stockholm.
Johnson, who said Putin was “a 21st-century tyrant,” also offered during his one-day visit to increase the deployments of British troops and military assets to the region.
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.
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