The Foreign Secretary has said the UK “strongly supports” Finland and Sweden joining Nato.

Liz Truss said the countries should be integrated into the alliance “as soon as possible”, to “strengthen the collective security of Europe”.

It comes as Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he opposes their accession, accusing the pair of not taking a “clear stance” against groups his country perceives to be terrorists.

Both Finland and Sweden have now expressed an interest in joining the alliance, against the backdrop of the conflict in Ukraine.

In a statement on Monday evening, Ms Truss said the UK looked forward to working with the countries as “new Nato allies”.

“The UK strongly supports applications for Nato membership from Finland and Sweden,” she said.

“They should be integrated into the alliance as soon as possible; their accession will strengthen the collective security of Europe.

“We look forward to working with them as new Nato allies and stand ready to offer them our every assistance during the accession process.

“Our mutual security declarations signed with Sweden and Finland last week by the Prime Minister demonstrate our steadfast and unequivocal commitment to both countries during this process and beyond.”