Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is extending the military mission in Latvia as part of a continued NATO effort to stave off further Russian aggression following its invasion of Ukraine two weeks ago.
But he offered little clarity when asked whether Canada will boost domestic spending on the military to hit the promised two per cent of GDP target agreed to by NATO allies in 2014.
“We understand the urgency that is presented right now in the world with Ukrainians standing strong against this illegal Russian invasion,” Trudeau said when asked about whether Canada will increase spending to meet the NATO target and urgently replace the weapons being offered to Ukraine.
“Those weapons are much more useful and in the coming weeks in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers fighting for their lives than they would be in Canadian hands. But of course, we need to make sure we replace those weapons rapidly.”
Operation Reassurance is currently Canada’s largest military deployment abroad.
It was set to expire in 2023.
NATO members sending weapons to Ukraine to fight Russia
The mission sees Canada leading a battle group of troops from NATO nations with the goal of deterring Russian aggression into the Baltic countries that form the military alliance’s eastern flank.
Trudeau and Defence Minister Anita Anand spoke from Latvia, where they have been meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as part of a visit to Europe to discuss Russia’s war.
Earlier in the day, Trudeau told the leaders of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia that Canada would stand with them to battle not only the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine but also its cyberattacks on their countries.
He later met with Stoltenberg at the Adazi Military Base, where NATO troops are stationed for Operation Reassurance. It is one of four similar efforts in the Baltics and Poland, designed to demonstrate the strength of the NATO alliance in the region against Moscow.
Training intensifies for Canadian troops in Latvia amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Trudeau was in the United Kingdom on Monday, where he announced 10 more individuals “complicit in this unjustified invasion” would face Canadian sanctions. The individuals identified came from a list compiled jailed Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny, Trudeau said.
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On Tuesday, civilian evacuations continued in Ukraine with the total number of people fleeing the country surpassing two million since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24, UN officials said.
Demands for ways to safely evacuate civilians have surged along with shelling by Russian forces that have made significant advances in southern Ukraine, but have stalled in some other regions.
Efforts to put in place ceasefires along humanitarian corridors have repeatedly failed amid Moscow’s bombing campaign.
Since the invasion began, western allies including Canada have punished Russia and its collaborators with severe sanctions, and have threatened to impose more if Moscow continues its aggression in Ukraine.
The measures have dealt a blow to the Russian economy, as companies pull out of or sharply curtail their businesses there. On Tuesday, Shell said it would stop buying oil and natural gas from Russia.
Last week, Canada said it’s imposing a 35 per cent tariff on goods from Russia and its ally Belarus. Furthermore, the federal government is revoking Russia’s and Belarus’s status as a “most favoured nation” trade partner under World Trade Organization provisions.
In addition to sanctions, Canada has promised to continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Alongside weapon shipments, Anand told Global News’ Mercedes Stephenson in Latvia that Ottawa is looking to provide Ukraine’s army with drone cameras.
Ottawa has also extended its military training mission in Ukraine, Operation Unifier, until 2025. However, Canadian troops assigned to that mission have been moved to Poland due to the war.
Anand says Canada ‘actively examining’ ways to assist Ukraine’s army
Before the invasion, Ukrainian officials called on allies to supply it with weapons to deter Russia from starting a widespread conflict. Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over the nation, but allies are against the idea as enforcing it could involve shooting down Russian jets.
“The thing that we have so far avoided — and will continue to need to avoid — is (creating) a situation in which NATO forces are in direct conflict with Russian soldiers,” Trudeau said last week.
“That would be a level of escalation that is unfortunate that we need to avoid.”
Russia calls its invasion of Ukraine a “special operation” that it says is designed not to occupy territory, but to destroy its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials have said Russia aims to capture Kyiv and topple the government, which Putin regards as a puppet of the United States.
In the weeks leading up to the war, Moscow built up roughly 150,000 troops near the border, and continually denied western accusations it was planning an invasion of Ukraine.
A man stands atop a destroyed bridge in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine on March 8.
Felipe Dana/AP
On Monday, Moscow again announced a series of demands to stop the invasion, including that Ukraine recognize Crimea as part of Russia and recognize the eastern regions controlled by Moscow-supported separatist fighters as independent.
It also insisted that Ukraine change its constitution to guarantee it won’t join international bodies like NATO and the EU. Ukraine has already rejected those demands.
— with files from Ashleigh Stewart, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
