Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
National

Zelenskyy declares NATO summit victory for Ukraine as Canada, allies pledge more help

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 12 Jul, 2023 11:13 AM
  • Zelenskyy declares NATO summit victory for Ukraine as Canada, allies pledge more help

As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other NATO leaders wrapped up their two-day summit Wednesday, they bid farewell to a very different version of Volodymyr Zelenskyy than the one they had met the day before.

Ukraine's president declared the meetings a success, even though he left without the thing he had most vehemently argued for: a quick invitation for his country to join the alliance.

"The Ukrainian delegation is bringing home a significant security victory for the Ukraine, for our country, for our people, for our children," he said.

That was a marked change from the man who blasted NATO on Twitter on Tuesday, when he called the leaders' decision to affirm Ukraine's eventual membership without setting out a timeline "absurd."

Wednesday morning, Zelenskyy and Trudeau were full of praise and warm wishes for one another when they met on the sidelines of the summit. 

"We need your support, and I'm sure that we will have it," Zelenskyy said after the pair embraced.

By Wednesday, a line of member states' flags flanking the main council meeting room already included Sweden's, after leaders agreed earlier this week to admit the Nordic country into the military alliance. 

Later in the afternoon, NATO officials added Ukraine's blue and yellow to the lineup, as the NATO-Ukraine Council met for the first time.

Then, G7 nations — led by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who attended the day's North Atlantic Council meeting as a guest — released a joint declaration that laid the groundwork for each nation to negotiate long-term agreements to help Ukraine bolster its military. 

Zelenskyy described it as a bridge toward eventual NATO membership and a deterrent against Russia.

That is not all he took home. 

Trudeau announced that the Canadian Armed Forces will welcome Ukrainian officer cadets for an intensive training program, developed in partnership with NATO, at the Royal Military College in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. 

During a press conference late Wednesday afternoon, he told reporters the Canadian military has helped train almost 40,000 Ukrainian military and security personnel through an operation based in Latvia. 

Trudeau had announced the expansion of that mission earlier this week, saying up to 2,200 troops would be stationed there in the coming years as the NATO battlegroup ramps up to become a brigade by 2026.

Canada is expected to spend $2.6 billion over the next three years toward that goal.

"For over 500 days now, Ukraine has withstood Russian brutalities. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin made a grave miscalculation. He underestimated Ukrainians' courage and he underestimated the strength of the West's solidarity and resolve," Trudeau said.

He said the G7 leaders had come together "to provide long-term, multi-year commitments" to Ukraine's security, and those guarantees would send a stark message.

"Putin wants to wait out and grind down the alliance, grind down Ukrainians, but he's not going to be able to because we will be there for as long as it takes, and that's what these security assurances are all about."

NATO leaders also agreed at this week's summit to make two per cent of GDP a minimum target for spending on defence, with one-fifth of that money going toward new equipment and research and development. 

Canada's spending on the military currently stands at just under 1.3 per cent of the economy.

Trudeau was asked whether he can commit to reaching the two per cent mark by the end of the decade. He did not set out a timeline or confirm Canada would meet the target. 

"We will continue to look to invest more as necessary to keep Canadians safe and to contribute fully around the world and we'll continue to follow up on the math," he said.

The prospective spending boost came hand-in-hand with the approval of thousands of pages of new defence plans that reposition NATO's focus toward collective defence. They will also improve co-ordination among allies on production and procurement. 

Canada has also stepped up its diplomatic presence in eastern Europe, opening a new embassy in Lithuania this week after announcing its intention to do so last year. New embassies are also due to open in Estonia and Slovakia.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Crews and Province keep an eye on wildfires

Crews and Province keep an eye on wildfires
Wildfire crews and local governments are keeping a close watch on drought-stricken woodlands across B-C, as more lightning is forecast in many areas. The wildfire service says 318 active fires are currently burning -- most of them in the Northwest and Prince George fire districts where thousands of lightning strikes hit during a recent storm.

Crews and Province keep an eye on wildfires

Ottawa could help health care with better international recruiting, Smith says

Ottawa could help health care with better international recruiting, Smith says
Improving health care is not just a matter of money and transfers from Ottawa to the provinces, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Tuesday. Health care is one of the main topics at the three-day meeting this week. The premiers also met with health worker representatives.

Ottawa could help health care with better international recruiting, Smith says

RCMP search for puppy, Lil Bit, stolen in alleged home invasion in Surrey, B.C.

RCMP search for puppy, Lil Bit, stolen in alleged home invasion in Surrey, B.C.
Police in Surrey, B.C., are appealing for public help to find a puppy that was stolen during an alleged home invasion robbery. They say the six-month-old female miniature pinscher and Shih Tzu cross named Lil Bit was snatched when two people forced their way into a home on 147A Street last month and made off with the residents' belongings.

RCMP search for puppy, Lil Bit, stolen in alleged home invasion in Surrey, B.C.

Multiple charges as 27-year-old accused in crash that killed two B.C. teens

Multiple charges as 27-year-old accused in crash that killed two B.C. teens
A statement from Metro Vancouver Transit Police says Cory Brown faces two counts of criminal negligence causing death, one count of driving while disqualified and one count of flight from police. He remains in custody and is expected to return to court on July 19.  

Multiple charges as 27-year-old accused in crash that killed two B.C. teens

Get another COVID-19 booster in the fall, Canada's immunization panel recommends

Get another COVID-19 booster in the fall, Canada's immunization panel recommends
NACI continues to strongly recommend that anyone five years of age and older who hasn't yet been vaccinated should be immunized with a primary two-dose series of an mRNA vaccine. It also has a "discretionary recommendation" that children six months to five years of age who haven't yet been vaccinated get the two-dose primary series of an mRNA vaccine.

Get another COVID-19 booster in the fall, Canada's immunization panel recommends

Southbound surges of U.S. agents causing delays, 'disarray' at Canada-U.S. border

Southbound surges of U.S. agents causing delays, 'disarray' at Canada-U.S. border
New York Democrat Rep. Brian Higgins says Customs and Border Protection personnel are being temporarily reassigned to help fortify the U.S. border with Mexico. Higgins says as a result, busy points of entry along the Canada-U.S. border are seeing longer delays and unstaffed kiosks. 

Southbound surges of U.S. agents causing delays, 'disarray' at Canada-U.S. border