U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson flew to Stockholm and then Helsinki today, to push both Sweden and Finland closer towards NATO membership. Both governments are expected to announce their decisions by the end of this week. In the meantime, they signed agreements promising mutual military support to each other, upon request.
In Stockholm, Johnson and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson signed a joint security declaration. According to a statement issued by Johnson’s office, the two leaders “agreed that the aftershocks of Putin’s abhorrent invasion of Ukraine had fundamentally changed international security architecture. They underlined that relations with Putin could never be normalized.”
“On the basis of solidarity, values and geographical proximity, the United Kingdom and Sweden will meet challenges in peace, crisis and conflict together,” the document says. “Should either country suffer a disaster or 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.”
