The UK and Finland will sign a strategic partnership on Monday to strengthen their ties and counter the “threat of Russian aggression” in Europe, the British Foreign Office announced.
The agreement, which provides enhanced cooperation on Russian disinformation, cyber attacks and participation in the reconstruction of Ukraine, will be ratified by British Foreign Minister David Cameron and his Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen later in the day in London.
A Foreign Office press release said the two countries planned to declare on the occasion that Russia, which shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Finland, is a “very significant and direct threat to European peace and stability.”
Their ambition is to “work together on global security challenges and support Ukraine until the war is won,” it said.
In recent months, both London and Helsinki have signed “security agreements” with Ukraine, pledging to continue providing Kyiv with long-term military and financial support.
“While we come together to support Ukraine, including by providing military aid and training, we want to make it clear that the threat of Russian aggression after the war will not be tolerated,” David Cameron declared. Press release.
“This strategic partnership, based on our shared values, will see the UK and Finland increase their cooperation to strengthen European security and gain new opportunities”, cooperating in fields such as science, technology, energy or the fight against illegal immigration. Cameron continued.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, relations between Finland and Russia have deteriorated significantly. Abandoning decades of military non-alignment, the Nordic country joined NATO in April 2023, angering Moscow.
