Defence Secretary meets with Scandinavian counterparts amid Russian military build-up

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace met yesterday with ministers in Sweden, Finland and Norway to discuss Russia’s build-up of troops on the Ukraine border and the continued aggression shown by Vladimir Putin. 

President Putin is currently amassing troops on Ukraine’s border which has alarmed diplomats across the world. Unearthing fresh grievances about the post-World War peace, specifically the role of NATO, Putin is setting the stage to stake his claim to parts of Ukraine.

Russia previously invaded Crimea in 2014 for similar reasons. 

Speaking as part of a three-day visit to Scandinavia this week, Mr Wallace reaffirmed the that “The UK and our Nordic partners are united in our approach to upholding European security”. He added that “My discussions this week have been directly about deepening bilateral relations, shared security and the consequences of Russian aggression towards Ukraine”.