“The war in Ukraine is forcing us all to make difficult decisions. But sovereign nations must be free to make those decisions without fear or influence or threat of retaliation,” Johnson stated.
This sentiment from the British Prime Minister comes amid threats of retaliation from Russia when both Sweden and Finland finally begin the process of joining NATO officially, which has been predicted to start within this week.
SOFREP has previously reported on this matter. Finnish publication Iltalehti claimed that they gained information from government insiders that Finland would begin the membership process on May 12th, while Sweden may shortly follow in the footsteps of Finland as Stockholm needs to review its security policy. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has stated that the decision to join NATO would be “quite fast” and that it would be made within “weeks and not months.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that both Finland and Sweden were practically already “a member without being a member,” and both the countries could easily join if they wanted to.
The United Kingdom signed this new security agreement with the two countries as there is a gap between applying for membership, satisfying requirements, and officially becoming a member. This process typically takes up to a year, which means that Russia may attack the two countries during this gap as they are technically not part of NATO yet. This does seem implausible at the moment as they currently have their hands full with their liberation of the Donbas region in Ukraine, which has seen slow advances and morale challenges.
This being said, the military pact is reportedly flexible for all countries, and the nature of the military assistance would “depend on the request of the other party.” Johnson would then reiterate that NATO was not an aggressive alliance but a purely defensive one as they are not inclined to attack if they are not attacked first.
“NATO poses no threat to anyone. It is there for the purposes of mutual defense,” he explained.
With the military pact now in place, a caveat and a weak point in Finland and Sweden’s application to NATO is addressed. If Russia does decide to attack any of the two countries, the United Kingdom can assist them. If Russia attacks the United Kingdom, then NATO can now defend itself by invoking Article 5. However, Johnson expressed that the security pact was not simply a “stop-gap” and would last even if the two countries did not join NATO.
The signing of new security declarations with Sweden and Finland is a symbol of the everlasting assurance between our nations.
They are a long term assurance to bolster military ties and global stability, and fortify Europe’s defences for generations to come.
🇬🇧🇸🇪🇫🇮 pic.twitter.com/XNH6oeqNLl
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) May 11, 2022
Johnson also admitted that there were separate talks with Sweden and their membership application to NATO, as it is known that Sweden was the more hesitant of the two. However, the British Prime Minister stated that the UK was ready to support Sweden regardless of what it would do next.
Regardless of Sweden’s membership in NATO, Johnson promised that “the U.K. would come to the assistance of Sweden with whatever Sweden requested,” signaling a more united Europe amidst a Russian threat.
After Johnson and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson’s meeting in Stockholm, she was asked whether the pact was beneficial to her country.
“Are we safer with this declaration? Yes,” she stated.
On the other hand, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has said that the decision to join NATO is a “historic step” and that if it does push through, the membership is for the security of their own citizens.
“Joining NATO would strengthen the whole international community and stand for our common values.”
With the military security pact now in place, both countries have technically already removed themselves from being neutral. The pact is most important for Finland, which shares the longest land border with Russia at 810 miles.
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