Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected in Washington on Monday to celebrate the 75the anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance.
The perilous situation in war-ravaged Ukraine and the precarious position of US President Joe Biden will mark the leaders’ summit, which is scheduled to officially begin on Tuesday.
The upcoming US elections and the possibility of a second term for Donald Trump have some NATO countries worried that the alliance’s most ardent critic will once again control its most powerful military.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly said he will not defend NATO members that fail to meet his defense spending targets, which includes Canada.
Mr. Trudeau is hoping to build support for sending military aid to Ukraine as doubts about continued fighting grow in the United States and Europe.
Federal Defence Minister Bill Blair is expected to speak about the defence of Canada’s Arctic at the Foreign Policy and Security Forum in Washington later today, before joining Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly at the NATO leaders’ summit later in the week.
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