“It is no longer just about self-defense, but about something more”
Norway supplies Ukraine with heavy artillery, being under pressure from the United States, writes Class struggles.
The publication refers to the fact that earlier the head of the United States Department of Defense, Lloyd Austin, after a meeting of the contact group on military assistance to Ukraine, announced that Norway, along with other states, would send artillery systems to Kyiv. At the same time, the Norwegian authorities, due to security issues, did not confirm the relevant statements, but, presumably, the M109 A3GN self-propelled guns were implied.
According to Yulia Vilhelmsen, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Relations, there are several reasons for sending heavy weapons to Ukraine from Oslo. First of all, this is a manifestation of solidarity with Kyiv on a new round of hostilities, the expert believes. At the same time, the good will of Norway is not behind the escalation of arms support, the expert shared her point of view.
She noted that the question of what Oslo supplies should be considered in the context of the steps of other countries of the North Atlantic Alliance and the United States.
“You need to be aware that Norway’s contribution naturally fits into the larger US contribution: they send more and more heavy weapons and more. It is no longer only about self-defense, but about something more, ”Vilhelmsen emphasized.
Washington has repeatedly spoken about the task of weakening Moscow, and some have even spoken about the need to change power in the Kremlin. According to the specialist, it is these goals that may be behind the steps of the United States in Ukraine, since the military conflict can transform into a confrontation between countries.
The likelihood of an escalation of the conflict has increased in recent months, as the parties are not interested in negotiations, the expert said. In addition, if the West continues to supply large-scale weapons to Kyiv, then Moscow will act “tough and decisively,” as the loss of Crimea is “unacceptable,” and the possible change of the Russian ruling elite is “an existential threat to the entire Putin elite,” Vilhelmsen explained.
She drew attention to the fact that now there are almost no neutral states left in Europe, and all the actors on both sides of the new border between East and West claim that they have no other choice and the supply of weapons is the only option. “But in fact, sovereign states are quite free to do as they see fit,” Wilhelmsen concluded.