It is “inconceivable” that the UK would not support Finland or Sweden if either were attacked, regardless of whether they were members of Nato or not, Ben Wallace said on Wednesday.
Britain’s defence minister made the comment as he spoke at a press conference in Niinisalo, Finland.
Responding to questions from the media, he said: “It’s inconceivable that Britain would not come to the support of Finland or Sweden if it was ever attacked.
“[That’s] Without any big formal agreement. We are European countries who share the same values, who have deep, long histories, a significant number of the British population seem to be descended from Vikings anyhow.
“We have that cultural link. I cannot conceive of a time where we would not come to support Finland and Sweden, no matter where they were with the Nato debate and where they are with agreements.
“Whatever happens on Finland’s Nato ambitions, that it is entirely for the freedom of Finland to choose, and we’re here to support their freedom to choose and not allow some other nation to tell them what to do with that choice.”
The two countries are mulling over joining Nato in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, in a major geo-political shift for the Nordic nations.
According to local media reports, Finland could announce a bid for membership on May 12, while Sweden is currently conducting a review of whether it should join.
Finland shares a border with Russia, and Moscow has repeatedly warned of “serious consequences” if the two countries join the military alliance, including potentially stationing nuclear weapons in its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.
Mr Wallace said that Russian military hardware did not appear to be worth the money they had paid for it, as he gave an assessment of the capability of Putin’s forces in Ukraine.
He told journalists: “I think what we have learned from this is that the so-called Russian military hardware is not really worth the money they paid for it, across the board.
“They’re currently being taken apart by cheap drones and poor leadership and equipment that doesn’t really work.”
He added: “It’s about time that many parts of Europe woke up to the fact that Putin is not a friend - he is an aggressor ... He was warned he would get more defence spending in Europe and more Nato forces on his borders and that’s exactly what he got.”
