OSLO (AFP) – Major navy workout routines involving 30,000 Nato troops and associate international locations kicked off in Norway on Monday (March 14) as tensions escalate between the West and Russia over the Ukraine warfare.
Cold Response 2022, deliberate lengthy earlier than Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, goals to check how Norway would handle Allied reinforcements on its soil, in step with Article 5 of Nato’s constitution which requires member states to return to the help of one other member state beneath assault.
“It’s a defensive exercise,” mentioned General Yngve Odlo, accountable for Cold Response.
“It’s not a military operation with an offensive purpose,” he informed tv channel TV2.
Organised each two years, the naval, air and floor drills are held over huge swathes of Norway’s territory, together with above the Arctic Circle.
They will nevertheless keep a number of hundred kilometres away from Norway’s border with Russia.
Russia declined Norway’s invitation to ship observers.
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“Any build-up of Nato military capabilities near Russia’s borders does not help to strengthen security in the region,” Russia’s embassy in Norway informed AFP final week.
Russia “has the capacity out there to follow (the exercise) in an entirely legitimate manner,” Odlo mentioned.
“I really hope they respect existing agreements,” he added.
As throughout earlier editions of the train, neighbouring Sweden and Finland, that are militarily non-aligned however more and more shut companions of Nato, may even take part in Cold Response.
Russia’s invasion has renewed debate within the two Nordic international locations about doable Nato membership.
Some 200 plane and 50 vessels are additionally participating within the manoeuvres, which final till April 1.
The train started on Monday with naval operations and the deployment on land of a part of Nato’s fast response pressure.
