Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets Ruslan Stefanchuk, speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, after delivering remarks to a NATO assembly of parliamentarians, in Montreal, on Nov. 25.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he opposes allowing Russia to keep any territory it has occupied in its invasion of Ukraine, warning that it would only embolden other hostile countries to invade their neighbours.
Mr. Trudeau told a NATO assembly of parliamentarians in Montreal Monday that they need to push back against those who argue assistance to Ukraine is not a priority.
In nearly two months, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as president of the United States, and he has vowed to swiftly end the war. The president-elect has declined to rule out the possibility that Ukraine may have to cede land to Russia and has been notably vague when discussing the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spelled out in June what he wanted in order to start peace talks: Ukraine must drop its NATO membership ambitions and hand over the entirety of four provinces claimed by Moscow.
Residential buildings that were heavily damaged in the course of the Russia-Ukraine war, in the Donetsk region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on Nov. 25.Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
Since February, 2022, Canada has committed more than $19.5-billion to Ukraine, including $4.5-billion in military assistance. This includes Leopard 2 main battle tanks, armoured combat support vehicles, anti-tank weapons and M777 howitzers.
“Of course, like so many different countries, we have citizens asking: Why is it that we are supporting this faraway country that has nothing to do with us in Canada?” Mr. Trudeau told the NATO gathering.
He said that, as a middle power, Canada understands how important it is to protect the rules-based international order, which Moscow has threatened in a way not seen since the Second World War.
He said Mr. Putin is reintroducing the long-dormant idea that “might makes right” in international relations.
“If Russia succeeds in gaining an inch of territory in Ukraine because of their illegal invasion, countries around the world will look at their historical grievances,” he said. They “will look at the fact that perhaps they have a slightly larger military than their neighbour and wonder if it isn’t time now to redraw lines on a map, to violate the UN Charter, as Russia has, to once again destabilize the rules-based order.
“The prosperity we have had for decades around this world happens because we agreed to rules – and we abided by them even during the Cold War.”
Business lobby urges Canada to aim for 3 per cent defence spending
Mr. Trudeau’s government has come under renewed criticism in recent days for Canada’s laggardly pace in meeting NATO’s target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence. Canada is currently spending about 1.37 per cent on its military.
Last week, Mike Turner, the Republican chair of the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence committee, told Politico that Canada is not paying its fair share for defence. “The Trudeau policies are the freeloading policies of a NATO of decay. If everyone had the policies of Trudeau, there would be no NATO,” Mr. Turner said.
The Prime Minister pushed back at such criticism, saying his government has outlined a plan to increase military spending to 2 per cent of GDP by 2032. He tried to redirect the conversation to his political opponents, saying it was former prime minister Stephen Harper who let defence expenditures shrink.
Mr. Trudeau said there is a perception that “right-wing parties tend to invest more in defence,” but “that’s actually been the reverse in Canada.”
Putin says Russia struck Ukraine with experimental ballistic missile
Defence spending under Mr. Harper “dropped investments in defence to well below 1 per cent of GDP,” he said. “They were very good with photo ops and waving the flags. They were not so good in making necessary investments.”
He ended his speech by arguing against isolationism, which would see Western countries shrink from their obligations to traditional allies, including Ukraine.
“People are saying: ‘Let’s take care of the affordability crisis first. Let’s deal with some of the challenges that people are facing in their daily lives,’” he said.
“Citizens are anxious. When people are anxious, the temptation is to hunker down, hide out, huddle with your family, hope the storm blows over.”
But “unless we stand strong, political pressures are going to continue to undermine the case for investing in the NATO alliance, for investing in defence of Ukraine, for investing in the rules-based order.”
In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Mike Waltz, Mr. Trump’s pick for national security adviser, said the president-elect has been “very concerned” about an escalation in the fighting between Russia and Ukraine and that the war must be brought “to a responsible end.”
Mr. Waltz noted the involvement of North Korea and Iran in the conflict, Russia’s use of a hypersonic ballistic missile and a decision by some Western countries to let Ukraine fire their missiles deep into Russia. He said South Korea was considering whether to get involved, too.
“What we need to be discussing is who’s at that table, whether it’s an agreement, an armistice, how to get both sides to the table, and then what’s the framework of a deal,” Mr. Waltz said.
With files from Reuters