The USS Gerald R Ford is visiting Oslo ahead of highly anticipated military exercises in the Arctic.
Russia has called the visit of the world’s largest warship, the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier, to Oslo in Norway an “illogical and damaging” show of force at a time of heightened tensions.
In a NATO demonstration of firepower, the 337-meter (1,106-foot) nuclear-powered ship sailed for the first time into the Oslo Fjord on Wednesday under escort, where it will remain for several days before heading to the Arctic for exercises. military, according to Norwegian media.
The highly publicized visit, which comes amid tensions between the West and Russia over the war in Ukraine, was denounced by the Russian embassy in Norway.
Norway, a NATO member, shares a land border with Russia, as well as a maritime border in the Barents Sea.
“There are no questions in the [Arctic] north that require a military solution, nor issues where external intervention is needed,” the Russian embassy in Olso said in a Facebook post.
Russian embassy spokesman Timur Chekanov told the French news agency AFP that Norway’s display of military might was disconcerting and untimely.
“Given that Oslo admits that Russia does not pose a direct military threat to Norway, such shows of force seem illogical and damaging,” he told AFP in an email.
A major air and sea space ban has been put in place around the USS Gerald R Ford, which can carry up to 90 planes and helicopters and is expected to remain moored in the Norwegian capital for several days.
“This is the security of Norway. It is a clear expression of the security guarantees we have through NATO, especially the close cooperation and partnership we have with the United States,” Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said in a statement issued by the Navy. from United States.
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First US aircraft carrier to visit Norway in 65 years – the newest aircraft carrier in the US Navy. #CVN78 arrived in Oslo, Norway for a scheduled port visit on May 24.https://t.co/84S1D54JkP
—USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) (@Warship_78) May 24, 2023
According to the online newspaper Barents Observer, the ship is expected to head to the Arctic several days before the start of the Arctic Challenge exercise on May 29, which will bring together 150 aircraft and 3,000 military personnel from 14 Western countries.
The war games will take place from near the Russian border in the east to the Norwegian Sea coast in the west, the newspaper reported.
The Norwegian military said in a statement that the arrival of the Gerald R Ford, the US Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, would provide Norway with “a unique opportunity” to develop cooperation and work closely with the the country’s most important ally.
The Norwegian military and NATO allies have been patrolling offshore oil and gas platforms since late last year, following mysterious explosions that hit Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, believed to be acts of sabotage, although those responsible have not yet been identified. identified.
Last year, Norway became Europe’s largest gas supplier after a drop in Russian gas flows due to the political and economic fallout from Moscow’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Norway said it will support US training programs for Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets.
“The government supports this initiative and is considering how Norway can contribute together with allies and partners,” Defense Minister Gram said.
But Norway has not decided whether to hand over any of its F-16 jets to Ukraine, the minister told public broadcaster NRK separately.
