'Not in Russia's interest' to start war with a NATO country, says Norway's PM
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Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke to FRANCE 24 about the war in Ukraine ahead of the second anniversary this week of Russia's full-scale invasion. The conflict has prompted senior Scandinavian defence officials to warn about the heightened threat of war with Russia; while Norway is a founding member of NATO, Finland joined the alliance just last year while Sweden is in the process of doing so.
"I don't think it is in Russia's interest to engage war with a NATO country," the Norwegian premier told FRANCE 24.
"But being part of NATO, being part of a collective security, we need to strengthen our capacity," he conceded.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Støre admitted that there was a "stalemate on the battleground" in Ukraine but insisted on the importance of supporting Kyiv. The recent fall of Avdiivka to Russian forces "should be a wake-up call to make the Ukrainians fit and able to defend themselves", he said.
Støre added that Norway would agree a bilateral security deal to help Ukraine. Kyiv has already signed similar agreements with France, Germany and the UK.
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