Vladimir Putin’s desire to weaken NATO and Ukraine will not succeed, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau made this statement during the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where he also announced that Canada will provide training for Ukrainian officer cadets at the Royal Military College in Quebec. He emphasized that Canada will stand with Ukraine no matter how long it takes, as demonstrated by the joint G7 declaration to support Ukraine in the long term.
At the summit, NATO leaders established the NATO-Ukraine Council, a permanent body for consultations and emergency meetings between the alliance’s members and Ukraine. This move aims to bring Ukraine closer to NATO without formal membership. The leaders stated that Ukraine can join NATO when certain conditions are met.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees the G7 initiative as a step towards eventual NATO membership and a deterrent against Russia. Ukraine has been engaged in a conflict with Russia since the invasion in February 2022, and Trudeau emphasized that the G7 commitment ensures long-term security assistance to Ukraine.
Canada has already committed over $1.5 billion in military assistance to Ukraine and has trained thousands of Ukrainian military and security personnel since 2015. The intensive officer cadet training program at the Royal Military College will be developed in partnership with NATO.
Trudeau previously announced Canada’s expanded contribution to NATO in Latvia, with up to 2,200 Canadian Armed Forces members in the coming years.
The question of Ukraine’s NATO membership was a divisive issue at the summit, with western countries providing weapons to Ukraine but not granting membership. This is partly due to concerns about Ukraine’s stability and corruption levels. With Ukraine’s future membership in question, defining an end to hostilities becomes challenging, as Putin can prolong the conflict and potentially veto Ukraine’s NATO membership.
President Biden has expressed reservations about Ukraine joining NATO, citing concerns about the country’s democracy and corruption. However, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy believes that NATO membership would provide a significant motivating factor for Ukrainian society in resisting Russia.
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