UK sending its largest warship to Arctic to deter Russia

The deployment, dubbed “Operation Firecrest,” will include multiple warships, F-35 jets, helicopters, and eventually joint exercises with U.S., Canadian, and Northern European forces. The carrier will also host U.S. fighter jets when it arrives at a U.S. port, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry. Starmer billed the deployment as “a powerful show of our commitment to Euro-atlantic security,” a statement that comes after significant criticism from President Donald Trump of NATO’s defense capabilities in the region, which he has deemed inadequate to deal with Russian and Chinese threats. Those near-constant rebukes threatened to fracture the U.S.’s relationship with Europe, especially…