British forces will defend Sweden and Finland from a Russian attack, should the need arise, under a new security agreement that sets the stage for the Nordic countries to join NATO in defiance of Kremlin threats.
“What we are saying emphatically is that in the event of a disaster or the event of an attack upon Sweden, then the U.K. would come to the assistance of Sweden with whatever Sweden requested,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on the first of two stops Wednesday.
“On the basis of solidarity, values and geographical proximity, the United Kingdom and Sweden will meet challenges in peace, crisis and conflict together,” the joint statement said. “Should either country suffer a disaster or an attack, the United Kingdom and Sweden will, upon request from the affected country, assist each other in a variety of ways, which may include military means.
The U.K. is one of NATO’s three nuclear-armed members, along with France and the United States. Both prime ministers maintained that their agreement was not linked to a forthcoming application to join NATO —"there's a separate issue about NATO, which which I think Sweden is going to be addressing in the course of the next few days,” Johnson insisted — but there was no hiding the link between the statement of the hour and Putin’s bellicosity.
The recent Russian offensive in Ukraine prompted a sea change in Finnish and Swedish security discourse. Moscow appears more aggressive than expected, and President Joe Biden has made clear that friendship with NATO is no substitute for a treaty-bound security guarantee.
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