Norway PM 'prepared, but not afraid' of Russian incursion

The prime minister of Norway says threats from Russia are part of the modern security picture and should be taken seriously.

In an interview with the CBC's Power & Politics , Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told host David Cochrane "we are prepared, but not afraid" of a Russian incursion.

He said the threat is "real" and should be followed "very carefully," especially by countries closer to the Russian border — including Canada.

"Intelligence services of NATO countries are pointing to that threat. It is real. It's happening," Støre said.

The threat conversation came to the surface this week following a warning from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk that Russia is planning hybrid strikes on NATO territory.

Under this threat environment the Norwegian PM says regional groups must come together, welcoming Canada's recent move to seek membership in the U.K.-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a collection of a few NATO nations whose mandate is to respond more quickly in a crisis.

The JEF was initially formed by the U.K., Netherlands, Nordic and Baltic countries, but Støre says it's now important to talk more closely with countries that he says, "share challenges and security risks," including Poland, Germany, Belgium and Canada.

Carney touts Arctic alliance with Norway during PM's visit to Ottawa, amid Russia threat

Støre says the JEF is helpful in cases when issues may be too big for a country on its own or it's not up to the scale of Article 5 — the NATO clause that requires alliance members to defend any other member that's been attacked — telling Power & Politics that NATO allies are engaged in "sophisticated debate" over the threshold for Article 5 to be triggered.

With Russia struggling to reach its strategic objectives in Ukraine, it could be wanting to test Ukraine's partners, says Støre.

Incidents in Europe this summer have raised those alarm bells for NATO partners.

German authorities blamed Russia for a drone attack at an airport in central Germany in August while last week, Bulgarian authorities announced they're investigating a fire at a munitions storage facility operated by arms maker EMCO — whose weapons are used in Ukraine.

Following Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to Norway in March, both countries signed a strategic partnership committing to broadly expanding areas of co-operation — notably in the Arctic where both countries share a coastline with Russia.

"We see Canada very much part of the Northern sphere. We have the Atlantic between us, but we are Arctic states," Støre said.