The Russian ambassador pointed to Norway's intention to step up NATO exercises near the border.

The Norwegian authorities are interested in increasing their military presence and intensifying NATO exercises near the border with Russia. This was announced on June 28 by Russian Ambassador to Oslo Nikolai Korchunov.

"The Norwegian authorities do not hide their interest in increasing the military presence and activity of NATO, intensifying joint exercises with the allies on their territory, including east of 24 degrees east longitude, that is, in the eastern part of the Finnmark province bordering Russia," he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

According to him, the most obvious pull-up of NATO troops to the north of the country and to the Arctic is carried out with empty assurances from Oslo of its alleged continued commitment to maintain low tensions in high latitudes. Korchunov expressed confidence that intensive militarization would not lead to a strengthening of Norway's security. According to him, the relevant measures increase the level of military-political tension and escalation risks in the Arctic.

He noted that this applies, in particular, to Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and France. The Russian ambassador also stressed that there are no confidence-building measures and military communication channels between Russia and NATO. According to him, this contributes to the growth of misunderstandings and dangerous incidents.

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The day before, Vladislav Maslennikov, director of the Department of European Problems at the Russian Foreign Ministry, pointed out that NATO's statements about the "Russian threat" were illogical. According to him, by promoting the myth of a possible Russian attack on Europe in 2030, the member countries of the alliance are confused in their statements, as they expect to increase defense spending only by 2035. He also stressed that they use the myth of the alleged threat from Russia in order to push the population to take responsibility for security.