Sweden has proposed taking the lead in establishing a strengthened NATO presence in Finland through the creation of forward land forces (FLF).

This announcement was made on Monday by the two nations. Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson stated during a joint press conference with Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen in Stockholm, “The Swedish government aims to serve as the framework nation for forward land forces in Finland.”

He emphasized that this initiative is still in its initial phases, noting that the decision to designate a leading nation for this effort will be made collectively by NATO.

The shift in policy for both Finland and Sweden, which were previously militarily non-aligned, was prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, leading to their NATO membership in 2023 and 2024, respectively.