Swedish troops get a taste of NATO in Finland

STORY: In the snow of Finland's high north, Swedish and Finnish troops take part in NATO's biggest exercise since the end of the Cold War.

Soldiers from the two countries have trained together for years.

But that's now taken on a new dimension as they both integrate deeper into NATO.

Finland joined last year while Sweden now stands poised for entry.

Sweden's neutrality lasted through two world wars and the Cold War but Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushed them towards the alliance.

Swedish Brigadier General Rickard Johansson told Reuters the training is a chance to learn from their Finnish partners in their first months of NATO membership.

"I think we have done a lot of preparation for ourselves now and I am looking forward to, we are looking forward to being a member of NATO as soon as possible.”

The mock engagement, involving tanks and training rounds, is intended to test the military alliance's ability to reinforce places such as the Nordic far north.

It's also a chance for Swedish troops to prepare mentally for potentially defending the borders of a NATO ally.

Sweden has said it plans to contribute to NATO's Latvia deployment.

Conscript Felix Taws says he feels ready to support another country.

"I think it it’s good, the situation in Europe is really insecure right now, thinking about Russia's invasion in Ukraine, so it feels safe that Sweden will join NATO, so we receive support from all other NATO countries if something should happen, and we can also give support to those countries that are vulnerable."

In all, about 90,000 troops are set to take part in the wider NATO exercises running through May.