(Bloomberg) -- Sweden aims to lead NATO troops in Finland as the alliance seeks to bolster its defenses against Russia.
Sweden has been asked and agreed to be the so-called “framework nation” that will lead the base for North Atlantic Treaty Organization forward land forces in Finland, defense ministers from both nations said at a press conference in Stockholm.
“Sweden and Finland are close neighbors and we have a long tradition of cooperation on security and defense,” Sweden’s Pal Jonson said on Monday. “Today marks the beginning of an ever-closer relationship between Sweden and Finland in the security domain, and now it’s being done and undertaken inside of NATO.”
NATO has strengthened its presence in eastern member nations since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and currently has eight combat groups in nations from Estonia to Bulgaria. They are led by countries including Canada, Italy and the US, and comprise troops from more than two dozen countries.
As part of the buildup, construction has started on a base in Lithuania where almost 5,000 German troops will be stationed by 2027.
Sweden could send 20-50 officers to permanently staff the Finnish base, according to Svenska Dagbladet, which reported the news earlier Monday. A Swedish army brigade based in Boden, some 110 kilometers (68.35 miles) from the Finnish border, could be deployed to help defend the northern parts of its neighbor, it said.
Swedish and Finnish ministers didn’t disclose details over the exact location for a future military base and said the final decision will still need to be made by the Swedish government.
The two latest NATO entrants have deepened defense ties in the past decade, and decided to jointly file applications for membership in the alliance after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. On Monday, the countries’ leaders take part in a joint government meeting in Stockholm that involves several ministers from both nations.
(Adds details and comments from press conference.)
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