British Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed a security declaration pledging to provide support to Sweden if it faces any threat of aggression from Russia.
Sweden, like Ukraine, is not a NATO member.
With this declaration signed during Johnson’s visit to Sweden, England declared that it was ready to provide all kinds of support, including military force, to Sweden if it was threatened.
It is stated that the continuation of this move will be made with Finland, which is also a non-NATO member.
The two northern countries will thus be placed under the umbrella of security just before they announce their decision to apply for NATO membership.
The decision on whether or not to apply for NATO membership in Helsinki and Stockholm, the capitals of the two countries, is expected to be announced next week.
While underlining the importance of bilateral agreements, security experts point out that Sweden and Finland will have the right to seek support from Britain, a NATO member, whenever they need it.
Some circles comment that “if such an agreement had been made with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin could have been deterred from massing troops on the border.”
On the other hand, there are those who evaluate that if Moscow has an invasion plan for Sweden and Finland, this situation will make Britain, which has promised military power to the two countries, a party to the conflict.
One of the points that military analysts draw attention to is that since the UK is a member of NATO, it has the right to activate NATO’s Article 5, which considers an attack on one member as an attack on all other members. This means that 30 member states, especially the United States, will face Russia at once.
Putin has made clear threats to Finland and Sweden in the past that “if you join NATO you will suffer the consequences”.
Both Finland and Sweden are considered “two countries known for their wartime neutrality”. However, in the public opinion of both countries, it is observed that the tendency to join NATO has increased after what happened to Ukraine.