Nordic and Baltic leaders will attend a summit in London this
week hosted by the Prime Minister, as he continues to lead the
charge on ensuring no one actor or malign government can
fundamentally compromise European security again.
The Prime Minister will host the leaders of the Joint
Expeditionary Force (JEF), a northern European security
coalition, bringing together representatives from Denmark,
Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands,
Sweden and Norway.
While the JEF began as a defence-focused group, the Prime
Minister has been impressed by the common approach and values
shared by its members. They will discuss the immediate crisis in
Ukraine but also long-term energy security and how they
can help Ukraine rebuild again after war.
The grouping faces a unique set of threats from Russia, with some
members facing aggression on their land borders, in the skies and
from the North and Baltic Seas. Many face increasing cyber
threats too.
The Prime Minister is set to host the group for dinner at
Chequers on Monday night, after inviting the leaders to his
country residence during the most recent JEF leader call last
month.
The leaders will then meet in London on Tuesday before the Prime
Minister hosts the leaders of Finland and Sweden at Downing
Street in the afternoon. He is expected to host the Prime
Minister of Latvia ahead of the summit on Monday.
The Prime Minister said:
“European security has been shaken by the attack of Russia on
Ukraine, and alongside our partners, we will take action to
ensure we emerge stronger and more united than before.
“Ensuring we are resilient to Putin’s threats needs to go
beyond our military footing - together alongside our North and
Baltic Sea partners we must ensure we are insulated from Russia’s
interference and impact on our energy supplies, economy and
values.”The Prime Minister is set to raise the importance of
broader European security in his meetings, and will urge leaders
to work together to ensure that no other nations can fall victim
to Putin's aggression
The leaders are also expected to agree to an enhanced programme
of integrated JEF exercises and activities at sea, on land and in
the air in the High North, North Atlantic and Baltic Sea the
member nations deepen military ties and interoperability.
The meeting follows the deployment of UK Armed Forces to Exercise
Cold Response in Norway this weekend, where more than 30,000
troops from 27 nations will be put through their paces in extreme
temperatures.
Exercise Cold Response will be the largest of its kind in 30
years.
