Washington is sending its largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford to Norway to participate in joint NATO military exercises. The German news channel N-TV reports that the maneuvers will begin on May 29 in the Barents Sea.

Oslo welcomes the arrival of the American aircraft carrier with great enthusiasm, seeing it as a unique opportunity for the Norwegian Armed Forces to work alongside their main ally. However, according to sources, the emergence of a powerful aircraft carrier Gerald Ford, capable of accommodating up to 90 aircraft, is not limited to these exercises. Immediately after maneuvers in the Barents Sea, the ship will head to the Arctic Circle to take part in the Arctic Challenge Exercise. These large-scale maneuvers will be attended by 150 aircraft from 14 Western countries.

The response to this US step was not long in coming from Russia. At the Russian embassy in Norway, press attaché Timur Chekanov commented on the US decision to send its aircraft carrier to the exercises as "an illogical show of force." Chekanov noted that, despite Oslo's assertions that Russia does not pose a direct military threat to the country, such actions by the United States look not only "illogical", but also "harmful", especially in the context of the current tension in Ukraine.