The United States sees Norway as a major foothold in the Arctic. This was announced on Thursday, May 13, by the commander of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation, Admiral Alexander Moiseev.
"Recently, as the main "springboard" in the Arctic, the United States considers Norway as a territory that is used for the forward presence of the Armed Forces, the deployment of intelligence and surveillance equipment, the development of dual-use infrastructure, "he said during a briefing for Russian and foreign journalists on the nuclear missile cruiser"Peter the Great".
Moiseev also stressed that the leadership of Norway itself, under pressure, actually contributes to the expansion of the military presence of the NATO Allied Forces, as well as the growth of conflict potential in the Arctic, despite the historically established "long-term good-neighborly" relations with the Russian Federation and the ability to engage in a constructive dialogue on problematic issues in the region.
In addition, the commander of the Northern Fleet noted that NATO military exercises are shifting to the Russian borders, the intensity of US strategic aviation flights is increasing, which is provocative and has a negative impact on the regional security system as a whole.
On the eve of the Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, senior official of the Arctic Council from Russia Nikolai Korchunov stressed that Moscow does not consider the Arctic as a theater of military operations and calls for avoiding escalation and confrontation in the region.
Earlier on April 6, the American television company CNN said that Russia is building up unprecedented military power in the Arctic, and is also testing the latest weapons there. Sources of the TV channel in the Pentagon said about the fears of the US authorities that the new bases can be used by Moscow not only to legally protect the country's borders, but also to establish actual control over all areas of the Arctic region.
The day before, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the United States is monitoring Russia's activity in the Arctic and intends to defend national interests in this region.
