BARDUFOSS (VG) NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg believes Russia’s protests against the invasion are essential to ending the war as quickly as possible.

On Friday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will visit soldiers at the Cold Response exercise at the military air base in Bardufoss.

Here he warns, among other things, that he expects an increased NATO presence in the north.

– What is your message to “ordinary Russians” in Russia?

– This is President Putin’s war. He was the one who had made the decision to invade a peaceful neighboring country. It’s brutal and disastrous for the Ukrainian people who experience death and suffering every day, Stoltenberg told VG.

At the same time, he said that the war was also sad and devastating for the Russian people, who suffered heavy losses due to the loss of soldiers and huge financial costs as a result of the “brutal and meaningless” war.

– We saw voices in Russia protesting the war. It is important to stop the war as soon as possible. First and foremost for Ukraine, but also to stop the economic costs it has inflicted on Russia and many other countries as a result.

Expect more NATO exercises in the north

– I have warned that NATO must do more throughout the alliance, also in the north. And we see that some countries, such as Norway, the United States and the United Kingdom, operating in the High North, are investing in new aircraft, ships and submarines, all of which will operate in the north, he said.

Stoltenberg believed it was necessary because of Russia’s increasing presence in the north.

– They opened old Soviet bases, they tested new advanced weapons systems and had a significantly increased military presence in the High North. So that’s the reason why NATO countries are also increasing their presence in the High North, he said.

– Would you like to make changes in NATO’s presence in the High North in the future?

– I wish there would be more practice. And we’ve seen that countries like the UK, the United States and other NATO countries like France, along with Norway, have acquired planes and ships that will operate in the north. So there will be more NATO presence in the years to come as a result of the decisions that have been made, but I also assume that the war in Ukraine will contribute to further strengthening NATO.

But Stoltenberg would not answer whether he wanted a new NATO base in Norway:

– It is Norway’s decision what kind of presence there should be in Norway, he said.

Stoltenberg pointed out that there was more of a presence in Norway, which he welcomed.

– And then Norway determines its basic policy, and of course respects NATO.

He stressed that the High North is also very much about what happens in international waters and airspace.

Breaking trust

In northern Norway and particularly the eastern part of Finland, there has been cross-border collaboration between cultural life, sport and between several other actors for several years, through what has been described as community-to-people collaboration. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, much of this cooperation has been suspended.

– When you become Prime Minister of Norway, Norway becomes one dividing line agreement with Russia. What has changed in Western and Norwegian cooperation with Russia since then?

– What has happened is that Russia has twice used military force against Ukraine. They annexed Crimea in 2014 and started to weaken Ukraine in the Donbass and now they have carried out a full-scale military invasion to a level we haven’t seen since World War II, he said.

The war is especially serious for those affected by the death, pain and suffering in Ukraine, but also because it undermines and completely undermines the trust one must have in order to build a relationship, according to Stoltenberg.

– Russia is a neighbor and we have to face it. But it will be a completely different situation when they once again challenge the basic principles of security, Ukraine denies self-determination and challenges NATO by saying that we must remove all our weapons and installations in the east. And Russia is willing to use military force to achieve that, he said.

– Are you afraid that in the future there may be conflicts in the High North?

– NATO is here to avoid it. The whole purpose of NATO is not to fight, but to prevent war. That’s why we have credible deterrence, we have NATO saying “an attack on one NATO country triggers a response from the whole alliance. All for one, one for all.” By doing so in a credible manner through a military presence. NATO’s goal is to maintain peace and prevent war, Stoltenberg stressed.