Boris Johnson’s visit to Finland and Sweden to discuss Nato membership a red rag to Moscow
Trip will be seen as provocative by Moscow
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson is to fly to Finland and Sweden to discuss the Nordic countries’ ambitions to apply for membership of Nato.
The visit will be seen as a red rag to Moscow, after Russian president Vladimir Putin used fears of an expanded Nato alliance as a justification for his invasion of Ukraine.
Finnish president Sauli Niinisto is expected to confirm his country’s stance on membership on Thursday, while an announcement is expected from Sweden’s ruling Social Democrats on Sunday following consultations over the weekend.
Mr Johnson will meet his counterparts in Stockholm and Helsinki during a one-day trip on Wednesday, taking questions from the press in both countries.
After decades of neutrality, the question of Nato membership was thrust to the top of the political agenda in both Sweden and Finland by the invasion of Ukraine in February, which threw a harsh spotlight on the vulnerability of Russia’s neighbours to aggression from Moscow.
A formal application to join Nato could be made at the alliance’s June summit in Madrid and is likely to be fast-tracked, though getting the signatures of all 30 alliance members could take up to a year.
Setting out the UK’s position ahead of Mr Johnson’s visit, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “We support countries’ democratic capability to decide on things like Nato membership.
“We understand the positions of Sweden and Finland and that is why the prime minister is going to discuss these broader security issues.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments