NEW YORK / OSLO (VG) Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg are clear that support for Ukraine will continue, despite Putin’s threats. Støre assures that Norway is closely monitoring the border with Russia.
Updated less than 10 minutes ago
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NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said in a live interview with Reuters news agency that Putin’s speech Wednesday morning was an escalation, but not a surprise.
– Putin’s speech shows that the war is not going according to plan, says Stoltenberg.
In a televised speech Wednesday morning, the Russian president ordered the partial mobilization of the reserve forces.
According to the defense minister, it will provide 300,000 new soldiers for the war in Ukraine.
He says Putin underestimated NATO and the international community.
– He didn’t think we would support them like we do. We are not a party to the war, but we support Ukraine’s right to self-determination.
At the same time, it is clear that NATO countries need to replenish their arms stocks, but that they are in close dialogue with the arms industry to increase arms and ammunition production.
The NATO commander also says they have increased troop preparation and monitoring, but have not noticed any changes so far.
When asked about nuclear weapons, Stoltenberg replies that so far they have not seen any change in Russia’s nuclear preparedness.
– NATO will ensure that there is no misunderstanding in Moscow about the seriousness of the use of nuclear weapons. Nuclear war should never be fought, he says.
Stoltenberg also says he hopes the war will end at the negotiating table, but that Kiev must achieve an acceptable result.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskii he says simultaneously in another interview that negotiations are out of the question as long as Russia is in Ukraine.
– It is very serious that Russia now announces the mobilization of reserve forces, says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in a statement to VG.
– This escalation of the war will cause greater suffering to both Ukrainians and Russians. I repeat our strong appeal to Russia to end the war. Ukraine has Norway’s full support, says Støre.
Støre is in New York, where he will take Norway’s seat on the UN Security Council on Thursday.
When asked what Putin’s mobilization of reserve forces means for Norway, Støre replies that Norway must act “wisely and responsibly”.
– This means close consultation with our NATO allies. NATO is a defense alliance that must provide security for its members. This is the sensible behavior we must show, not to participate in a growing rhetorical race where excitement can lead to misunderstanding, the Prime Minister tells VG.
– No special measures, that is, even if we share a border with Russia?
– We keep an eye on the border to the north and have taken the necessary steps to increase this attention. But then again, we do not see any high and direct threats to Norway in the north. We keep an eye on what is happening on land, in the air and at sea, and we will continue to do so.
Decline and division
Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt is also present at the United Nations High Level Week in New York. You say this is a serious escalation on the Russian side which will only lead to further escalation and more destruction.
– We are entering a busy winter. Putin aims to create political division and economic decline in Europe. He will not succeed, writes the foreign minister in a note to the VG.
– The European and Allied response to the war of aggression is powerful and cooperation has been strengthened in many areas. Ukraine will need aid for many years to come, and Norway will contribute broad, long-term support.
At the same time, he assures that the Norwegian authorities are doing everything possible to keep the tension in the high north low.
– Now it is even more important that our deterrence is credible and therefore we cooperate more with allies. It will strengthen our security if Sweden and Finland join NATO. This means we can defend our territories together with them, he tells VG.
– Desperate
Liberal leader Guri Melby says the mobilization that President Putin ordered on Wednesday morning is “a clear sign of a desperate dictator”.
– Putin has escalated the conflict with his mobilization, it is a clear sign of a desperate dictator we are seeing, writes Melby in an email to VG.
In a televised speech Wednesday morning, the Russian president ordered the partial mobilization of the reserve forces.
According to the defense minister, it will provide 300,000 new soldiers for the war in Ukraine.
Don’t be the bottom of the class
– Ukraine must get the weapons support it needs to fight Putin’s imperialist and authoritarian regime, says the liberal leader.
Melby writes that he expects Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (AP) to agree with Western leaders who are now advocating increased arms support for Ukraine.
– The government cannot be the bottom of the class again now, we must defend peace and freedom in Europe, says the liberal leader.
He also reacts to the fact that the leaders that Russia has installed in several occupied areas of Ukraine have announced referendums on joining Russia and that referendums will take place as early as this week:
– The time when Russia can annex territory through bogus referendums is over. The rest of the world sees through this game. The West must immediately increase its support for Ukraine. We need to be on guard now, says Guri Melby.
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