British troops join cold weather exercises with Swedish and Finnish armed forces

The Ministry of Defence said the exercise offered a strengthening of inter-operability, as the two European nations bid to join Nato.

British troops taking taken part in Exercise Vigilant Knife (MoD/PA) (PA Media)

British troops have taken part in Exercise Vigilant Knife, an exercise with Swedish and Finnish armed forces.

The Ministry of Defence said the exercise offered a strengthening of “inter-operability”, as both Sweden and Finland bid to join Nato.

The command-post exercise took place in Rovaniemi and Rovajarvi in northern Finland between August 29 and September 2.

The exercise took place in northern Finland (MoD/PA) (PA Media)

It was staged against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, which has sharpened minds across Europe about security on the Continent in the face of Russian aggression.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “Whilst there is war in Europe, it is more important than ever to strengthen our international partnerships.

“We welcome Finland and Sweden’s application to join Nato and will continue to exercise together so we are ready to face shared security challenges.

“Exercise Vigilant Knife is an invaluable opportunity for UK personnel to develop their skills and experience of warfighting in cold weather conditions, enabling them to be effective on the battlefield alongside their Finnish and Swedish counterparts.”