Britain signs mutual security pacts with Sweden and Finland ahead of NATO decision

published 12 May 2022

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson traveled to Sweden and Finland on Wednesday to sign mutual security agreements with the two non-aligned countries, both close to deciding whether to join NATO. Under the agreements, signed separately with Swedish Prime Minster Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, the countries would provide military and other assistance to the other signatory upon request, tailored to the specific request.

Johnson said the agreements are "not a short-term stop gap" while Finland and Sweden debate NATO membership, but rather "enduring assurance between two nations." Still, the agreement could ease concerns about aggression from Russia in the period between the two countries applying for NATO membership and being accepted and sheltered under the alliance's more robust Article 5 mutual security arrangement. Russia is vehemently opposed to NATO expansion, especially close to its territory; Finland and Russia share an 800-mile border.

Johnson's "agreements with Sweden and Finland are not a legal or automatic security guarantee but a political declaration that the U.K. would come to their aid, if requested," BBC News reports. Andersson and Niinistö both attributed the mutual security pacts and possible NATO membership to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Niinistö is expected to reveal his opinion on Finland joining NATO this week, and if Finland applies, Sweden is expect to do so at the same time.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.