Norway Aligns with France for Nuclear Protection Amid Russia Tensions
Norway's Shift in Defense Strategy and European Security Concerns
Norway's Alignment with France
OSLO, May 27 (Reuters) - Norway will come under France's nuclear umbrella, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told news agency NTB on Wednesday, as concerns grow in Europe over U.S. commitment to the region's security.
The move by Norway is significant as it has long been a so-called Atlanticist nation, one which believed its security was best achieved via close alignment with Washington.
Details of the New Defense Agreement
Stoere travelled to Paris on Wednesday afternoon to meet President Emmanuel Macron and sign a new defence agreement with France, which includes Norway joining a French-led nuclear weapons initiative.
Security Policy Context
"We are doing this in light of the security policy situation in Europe, including Russia's massive rearmament, also in the nuclear domain, and that it is waging a full-scale war against another European country," Stoere told Norwegian news agency NTB.
No nuclear weapons will be deployed in Norway in peacetime, he added.
Norway's Geopolitical Position
The Nordic nation of 5.6 million inhabitants is a member of NATO, but not of the European Union, and shares a border with Russia in the Arctic.
France's Nuclear Umbrella in Europe
In March, France offered to extend the protection of its nuclear umbrella to other European countries which, in practice, means that an attack on Norway could trigger a French nuclear response.
Norway becomes the latest country to receive France's nuclear protection, after Poland and Lithuania, which also share borders with Russia.
Global Nuclear Powers Overview
Russia and the U.S. are the world's biggest nuclear powers, with over 5,000 nuclear warheads each. China has about 500, France has 290 and Britain 225, according to the Federation of American Scientists.
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche and Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
