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• Boris JohnsonPrime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2019
• Magdalena AnderssonPrime Minister of Sweden, Swedish politician and economist

HELSINKI (AP) — Britain pledged to come to the aid of Sweden and Finland, including with military support, if the two Nordic nations came under attack under security deals Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed Wednesday with his Swedish counterpart in Stockholm and the Finnish president in Helsinki.

Sweden and Finland are pondering whether to abandon their historic neutrality and join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Johnson said in a statement that Wednesday’s agreements will allow Britain, a major, nuclear-armed NATO member, “to cooperate with key Nordic partners and their armed forces, in all domains, including cyberspace.”

Sweden's eastern neighbor Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) land border with Russia.

Wednesday's agreements also cover closer collaboration on new technology and intelligence-gathering between Britain and the two Nordic countries. Johnson said he would offer to increase British military deployments to the region, including with air force, army and navy assets and personnel.

Wednesday’s agreements will “fortify northern Europe’s defenses, in the face of renewed threats,” Johnson said in a statement, adding that they are symbols "of the everlasting assurance between our nations.”

“These are not a short-term stop-gap, but a long-term commitment to bolster military ties and global stability, and fortify Europe’s defenses for generations to come,” Johnson said in the statement.

“And whether it’s in the event of a disaster or a military attack, what we’re saying today is that upon request from the other party, we would come to the other party's assistance,” Johnson told a joint news conference in Sweden with Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.

He called the war in Ukraine Russian President Vladimir “Putin’s bloodthirsty campaign against a sovereign nation.”

Andersson said: “Putin thought he could cause division, but he has achieved the opposite. We stand here today more united than ever.”

(editor：)