US super aircraft carrier arrives in Norway for exercises, Ukraine cannot join NATO immediately

The world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford of the United States on its way into Oslo Fjord, Norway on May 24.

Reuters reported that the world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford entered the waters near Norway's capital Oslo for the first time on May 24 in a show of NATO force at a time of rising tensions between the bloc and Russia.

The Norwegian military said the USS Gerald R. Ford and its crew will conduct exercises with the Norwegian armed forces along the country's coast in the coming days.

US super aircraft carrier arrives in Norway for exercises, Ukraine cannot join NATO immediately

"This visit is an important signal of the close bilateral relationship between the United States and Norway and demonstrates the credibility of collective defense and deterrence," said Norwegian Joint Command spokesman Jonny Karlsen.

In Oslo Fjord, dozens of Norwegians of all ages gathered on the shore to watch, take photos and shoot video as the USS Gerald R. Ford passed by.

Norwegian media reported that the US aircraft carrier would sail north of the Arctic Circle. However, Mr. Karlsen declined to comment on this information.

The Russian Embassy in Oslo has condemned the visit to Norway of the USS Gerald R. Ford.

“In the Arctic there are no problems that require a military solution, just as there are no topics that require outside intervention,” the Russian Embassy wrote in a Facebook post.

“Oslo has acknowledged that Russia poses no direct military threat to Norway. Therefore, these demonstrations of force are unjustified and potentially harmful,” the post said.

Norway, a NATO member, shares a border with Russia near the Arctic. Last year, Norway became Europe's largest gas supplier after Russian supplies declined.

The Norwegian military and NATO allies have been patrolling around offshore oil and gas platforms since the autumn, following explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.

France says ready to guarantee security for Ukraine

On the same day, May 24, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine would not be able to join the alliance until the conflict with Russia ended.

“Being a NATO member in the middle of a conflict is not possible,” Stoltenberg said at an event organized by the US Marshall Fund in Brussels. “The question is what happens when the conflict ends,” Stoltenberg added.

In September 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced efforts to speed up the process of becoming a NATO member.

NATO allies have not agreed to Mr Zelensky’s demands. The West remains wary of moves that it fears could bring NATO closer to a conflict with Russia.

However, at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July 2022, both Ukraine and some of Kyiv's closest allies in Eastern Europe pushed NATO to take concrete steps to bring Ukraine closer to membership in the alliance.

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