Ambassador Yatsiuk explains why the current threat by Russia of its military offensive against Ukraine is a part of a wider conflict between Russia and the West; why a failure of the Euro-Atlantic community to stand by Ukraine as its de facto member will deal a death blow to the interests of all of its other members and the authority of the West on the world scene; why the most urgent goal now is to show the Kremlin a credible deterrence strategy and convince Moscow that the consequences of its eventual new aggression against Ukraine will be catastrophic for Russia; and, last but not least, why strengthening the defence capabilities of Ukraine and enhancing capacities of the Ukrainian economy should be regarded as one of the central elements of such strategy.

“What is decided in Ukraine now is of tremendous importance for Norway and its interests,” argues the Ambassador. “Russia’s goals are not limited to Ukraine. Russia is working steadily towards the dismantling of the European security order and weakening all major institutions like NATO that underpin it. This is why every Norwegian citizen holds a personal stake in Ukraine’s resilience. If Russia decides to escalate its aggression, there are all reasons to anticipate the overall deterioration of the security situation in Europe, a much more aggressive policy of Russia in the Baltic and Barents Sea regions, Russia’s increased militarization of the Arctic, Russia’s more serious provocations in the High North and other examples of its illegal activities in the region that is so important to Norway. It is evident that the security situation of Norway will become substantially worse and the resulting costs for Norway will be immeasurably higher than they can be if Norway makes a more tangible contribution to supporting Ukraine now. If Norway agrees to increase its practical support to Ukraine at this critical moment, this increased support – together with new contributions of other members of the Euro-Atlantic community that Ukraine continues to receive – will play a powerful role in ensuring the deterrent effect on Russia and thus, will strengthen the European security, including the security of Norway.”

https://forsvaretsforum.no/krig-nato-norge/ukraina-i-norges-egeninteresse-a-avskrekke-russland/231685