Key facts
- Russia condemned the U.S. deployment of an advanced missile system to Norway.
- Moscow stated the move further damages prospects for U.S.-Russia strategic nuclear stability talks.
- The system, based on Mk-41 launchers, is seen as a threat capable of reaching European Russia, including Moscow.
- Russia warned that deployment sites and command-and-control centers would become targets in a military conflict.
- U.S. media reports indicated the system was delivered to Norway in August.
Russia has condemned the U.S. deployment of an advanced missile system to Norway, asserting that the move deals a further blow to the prospect of U.S.-Russia talks on strategic nuclear stability. Russia's Foreign Ministry stated that the missile system, based on Mk-41 launchers capable of firing various missiles including Tomahawk cruise missiles, poses a threat. The ministry indicated that missiles fired from these launchers could reach a significant portion of European Russia, including Moscow. According to ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, such deployments negate the conditions for a strategic stability dialogue with the United States. Russia indicated it would pay "particular attention" to the deployment sites and command-and-control centers of U.S. missile systems, noting they would become targets in the event of a military conflict. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov separately stated that Norwegian military construction directed at Russia was grounds for additional Russian security measures. U.S. media reports suggest that Washington delivered the new missile launch system to Norway in August.