Stavrum and Ekland, Vladimir Putin

Watch the full episode with Katarzyna Zysk Above – or listen to it here:

The political security situation in the world and Europe has not been this tense since the 1980s, when Vladimir Brezhnev ruled the Soviet Union and Ronald Reagan was president of the United States. Not far from Norway, Russia is trying to take over Ukraine, and in Taiwan, experts fear that China may invade within not many years.

-The situation is very unstable now. Many will argue that war in Taiwan is likely within five to seven years, so it may be tempting for Russia to exploit it, Katarzyna Zysk tells Stavrum & Ekland.

Zisk is a professor at the Ministry of Defense Studies and one of Norway's leading experts on Russia and security policy in the Nordic regions. She has also been a visiting scholar at Stanford, Oxford and Sciences Po universities in Paris.

Norway must adapt to the new reality

The professor believes that NATO countries and Norway must adapt to the new reality of increasing geopolitical turmoil, as the possibility of war has increased sharply. Zisk points out that in recent days Russia has made changes to the command structure of the Russian Defense Forces, which clearly prepare Russia for a large-scale war.

The goal is to avoid war. Next you have to invest in defence, Zisk says.

Swedish Defense Minister Michael Biden says the country's population should prepare for war, while Prime Minister Jonas Jar Sture says we should not worry about war.

What is certain is that Russia has aggressive goals. They will continue, if not stopped, says Zysk at Stavrum & Eikeland.

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Norway will be directly affected

She fears several things, including a lack of investment in the military in many NATO countries, that Trump will cast doubt on the lack of support if a NATO country is invaded, as well as diverse cooperation between countries that want to destabilize the international order such as China, Iran and Russia. and North Korea, as factors that could escalate into war.

– If a confrontation occurs between the major powers, Norway will be directly affected, says Zisk.

Russia has the largest number of nuclear weapons in the world, more than the United States. Although the main purpose of these weapons is deterrence, Zisk fears that if Putin is under enough pressure, he might use them.

– Yes, if things get really bad, says the professor.

See the full rationale for nuclear weapons here:

Listen to more episodes of “Stavrum & Eikeland”. Spotify or Apple Podcast

Guests included former Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former Prime Minister Erna Solberg (right), Labor Party leader and current Prime Minister Jonas Jahr Sture, NRK's ​​Frederik Solvang, influencer Linnea Meyer, father of athletics Geert Ingebrigtsen, financier Knut Brundtland, shipowner Herbjørn Hansson, as well as investors such as Jens Aultveit Mo, Jan Peter Sessner, Christian Adolfsen, Johan H. Andreessen, Reinier Endahl, politician Nestor Gudmund Hernes, Tinder girl Cecilie Fjørtoft, oil analyst Jarand Rystad, football legend Jan Åge Fjørtoft , Yara CEO Svein Tore Holsether, Hydro CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim, Shabana Rehman, Trond Giske, Ingebrigt Steen Jensen, investor Arne Fredly, Telenor CEO Sigve Brekke, Hadia Tajik, Thomas Øye – to name a few.