Confronting Vladimir Putin’s irrationality will be a key task for Justin Trudeau and his European allies, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
The Prime Minister will travel to Brussels, Belgium. He will kick off the whirlwind trip with a speech to the European Parliament on Wednesday, where he will stress the importance for the two continents to work together to defend democracy in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mr. Trudeau delivered a similar address in Berlin two weeks ago. The Prime Minister plans to reaffirm Canada’s solidarity with a continent facing its greatest security challenge since the Second World War, explained Mélanie Joly.
“There is a level of irrationality in the way President Putin makes decisions. And in that sense, we have to be ready. We have to adapt to difficult times. I think our soldiers must also be better equipped,” Minister Joly said on Tuesday.
Trudeau will join other NATO leaders on Thursday to coordinate the military alliance’s response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. He will also meet with other G7 leaders before returning home on Friday.
The Prime Minister toured Europe earlier this month, where he held meetings in London, Berlin and Warsaw. He also visited Canadian troops leading a multinational NATO battle group in Latvia.
Justin Trudeau will be pressured to increase Canada’s defense budget, which NATO estimates represents 1.39% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021.
Having also traveled across Europe in recent weeks, Mélanie Joly again underlined on Tuesday that Germany had made a historic commitment to increase its defense spending to the NATO target of 2% of the GDP of the country.
This promise of spending marked a sea change in German military and foreign policy.
“Times have changed, the world has changed since February 24, when Russia invaded Ukraine. Germany has decided to take a very important decision by increasing its military spending. And we’re taking stock of that,” Ms. Joly said.
Two weeks ago in Berlin, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland hinted that there might be more money for the military in the next federal budget.
Justin Trudeau remained evasive on Tuesday when asked about the possibility of increasing military spending.
But his foreign minister has made it clear that Canada will need to increase its military support to Ukraine to help it repel Russian attacks and give Kyiv more leverage in future ceasefire talks with the Kremlin. .
“We will continue to announce more sanctions. We will also make sure to send more weapons to Ukraine, because this is the best way to put maximum pressure on Russia, but also to ensure that the Ukrainians are able to defend themselves on the ground,” he said. said Ms. Joly.
“Because in the end, the diplomacy continues, the negotiations take place. And it is important for Ukraine to be in a strong position at the negotiating table. »
Trudeau spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday ahead of his later scheduled departure for Brussels. They discussed “continuing international assistance in anticipation of upcoming NATO and G7 meetings,” Justin Trudeau’s office said in a statement.
“The two leaders urged Russia to stop targeting civilians, to withdraw its military forces from Ukrainian territory and to undertake diplomatic demarches with Ukraine,” it also reads.