Russia urges Canada to reject new NATO force
• Russia is pushing back against NATO calls for Canada to help lead a new military force in Eastern Europe, describing the measure as “a complete waste of money and resources.”
The new force will be a central focus when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets his NATO counterparts in Poland next month. The alliance wants to station 4,000 troops across Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as a bulwark against Russian expansion or aggression.
The U. S., Britain and Germany have each promised to lead one battalion of about 1,000 troops, and allies have been actively pushing Canada to take command of the fourth. Cabinet ministers are believed to have discussed the request Monday and an announcement is expected soon.
In a sharply worded statement, however, the Russian embassy in Ottawa said the NATO force risks distracting from “the real existential threat” facing Canada and Russia: the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and terrorism.
“We believe that NATO buildup on Russia’s doorstep, which is reminiscent of Cold War sabre-rattling, is a complete waste of money and resources, diverting them from the real existential threat of international terrorism,” it says.
“Given t hat t errorists make no distinction between Russians and Canadians, as well as reports claiming 151 nationals of Canada are on an ISIS ‘ kill list,’ common sense and pragmatism dictate the need to join efforts, as opposed to reincarnation of Cold War containment.”
Russia and the West have been in a tense standoff since March 2014, when the Kremlin ordered the annexation of Crimea and began supporting separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. However, the threat posed by ISIL has forced western governments to co- operate with Russia in Syria.
Some have also been critical of NATO’s military activities in eastern Europe. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier accused the alliance last week of “warmongering” against Russia by holding the largest military exercise in Poland and the Baltics since the Cold War.
“Anyone who thinks a symbolic tank parade on the alliance’s eastern border will bring security is wrong,” he told Bild am Sonntang newspaper. “We would be well advised not to provide a pretext to renew an old confrontation.”
Eastern European NATO members, however, say the new force is essential to ensure Russia doesn’t try to violate their sovereignty or territorial integrity like it did in Ukraine. Speaking to the Ottawa Citizen last week, a Latvian official compared the force to what NATO allies had stationed in West Berlin during the Cold War.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan would not say after Monday’s cabinet meeting if a decision has been made on whether Canada will contribute to the new NATO force.
The Liberal government has promised to re- engage with Russia after relations were largely suspended by the Conservatives. However, Sajjan said the government is a “responsible” NATO ally and that Canada “will always do our part.”
“When you look at the challenges that NATO faces, we have to make sure we go through and discuss all the various options before any decision is made on this,” he added. “But like I said, we are committed to NATO.”