CARNEY REFUSES TO BACK DOWN AS RUSSIA TARGETS NATO’S EASTERN FLANK
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is doubling down on Canada’s support for Ukraine and NATO following reports that Moscow attempted to attach sweeping demands about Europe’s security to negotiations over ending its war.
The reported Russian terms included Ukraine surrendering the entire Donbas, abandoning NATO membership and demilitarizing the ports of Odesa and Mykolaiv. Moscow was also reportedly seeking Finland’s withdrawal from NATO and restrictions on Alliance bases in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Kremlin has denied demanding Finland’s withdrawal, and the complete proposal has not been officially confirmed.
Carney’s response was unequivocal:
“There’s no way that Canada as a NATO member is going to walk away from any other NATO member—ever.”
“The security architecture for free Europe will be determined by free Europe and NATO, not by Russia and a redux of the Minsk agreement,” he added.
Canada’s position is backed by forces already deployed on NATO’s eastern flank. Canada serves as the framework nation commanding NATO’s multinational brigade in Latvia—a formation of approximately 3,000 troops from 14 allied countries. Operation Reassurance is Canada’s largest overseas military mission, and Ottawa has committed to expanding its permanently deployed contingent in Latvia to as many as 2,600 personnel.
That places Canadian soldiers directly on the border of the security order Russia is attempting to rewrite. Moscow invaded Ukraine, drove Finland and Sweden into NATO and strengthened the very eastern flank it wanted weakened. It cannot now use negotiations to reverse those consequences or decide which free European countries are permitted to remain protected.
“Canada stands firmly with Ukraine, firmly with democracy, territorial integrity and the rule of law,” Carney said. “All of those put us on the other side of Vladimir Putin’s Russia.”