Reuters. Britain signed a major defence deal with Norway on Thursday (December 4), building on the Nordic country's 10 billion pound ($13 billion) purchase of UK warships at a time of heightened threats from Russia.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store at 10 Downing Street as the defence ministers of both countries signed the agreement.
Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force routinely shadow potential threats to national security, and such missions to monitor Russian vessels and submarines have become more frequent since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
UK says there has been a 30% increase in Russian vessels threatening UK waters in the past two years.
Under the new deal, the two countries agreed their navies can operate side-by-side in the North Atlantic, and share maintenance facilities, technology and equipment.
