Relationship dossier
Finland
United Kingdom
Relationship assessment
Finland and the United Kingdom have a close, increasingly developed security and defense partnership.
Finland toward United Kingdom
+65Finland participates in the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force and signed mutual security assurances with the United Kingdom in 2022. The 2024 strategic partnership declaration further formalized cooperation, including in security and defense.
United Kingdom toward Finland
+65The United Kingdom included Finland in mutual security assurances in 2022 and cooperates with it through the Joint Expeditionary Force. The 2024 strategic partnership declaration strengthened bilateral security and defense cooperation.
Overall relationship
+65The relationship rests on sustained defense cooperation, including Finland’s participation in the Joint Expeditionary Force, mutual security assurances, and a 2024 strategic partnership declaration. NATO membership and shared responses to security concerns in Europe reinforce this close bilateral structure.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Finland and the United Kingdom maintain a close security partnership, reinforced by Finland’s participation in the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force, mutual security assurances issued in 2022, and a strategic partnership declaration in 2024. Both countries are NATO allies, and their cooperation has intensified in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The relationship is chiefly characterized by defense and security cooperation.
Key developments
Finland and the United Kingdom issued a declaration of mutual security assurances.
Finland joined NATO, bringing the two countries into the alliance as members.
Finland and the United Kingdom announced a strategic partnership to deepen bilateral cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The practical scope and implementation of the 2022 security assurances are unclear.
- The extent of cooperation under the 2024 strategic partnership declaration is uncertain.