Norway plans consultations with Russia to prevent incidents on the high seas while arresting a Russian vessel and stationing weapons near the border

Oslo expects to hold consultations with Moscow on preventing incidents on the high seas by the end of 2026, said Rune Haarstad, spokesman for the joint headquarters of the Norwegian Armed Forces.

According to him, responsibility for organizing and holding the meeting rests with the headquarters of the Norwegian Armed Forces, and it will be headed by the deputy head of the operational command of the Norwegian Armed Forces.

Norway arrests Russian ship

Norway, at the request of the Ukrainian side, arrested the Russian research vessel Professor Molchanov. The decision to seize was made by the governor by order of the Nord-Troms District Court as part of a claim by the Ukrainian company Naftogaz.

The Russian Foreign Ministry considered the incident to be real piracy. The department summoned the Ambassador of Norway, Heidi Olufsen. The Russian side indicated in a conversation with the diplomat that Moscow categorically does not accept not only the arrest of the ship at the request of Kyiv, but also other actions by Oslo aimed at limiting the legal Russian presence in the archipelago. The Foreign Ministry added that they will seek to lift the arrest of “Professor Molchanov.”

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in turn, promised to help the Russians on Spitsbergen after the arrest of the Professor Molchanov ship, which is used to supply Russian villages on the archipelago.

Norway has placed new weapons on the border with Russia

Russian Ambassador to Oslo Nikolai Korchunov said that at the end of August Norway deployed an artillery battalion on the border with Russia.

The diplomat added that the approach of long-range offensive weapons systems of NATO countries to the borders with Russia poses a threat. According to him, stirring up unhealthy excitement and intensifying the confrontational activities of the North Atlantic Alliance “increases the risks of unintentional escalation and a slide into a direct military clash between countries.”