(Warsaw) While in Poland, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended Canada's level of defense spending, while his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk urged the rest of the West to confront the very real dangers posed by Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Published at 6:49 am. Updated at 8:09 a.m
Laura Osman The Canadian Press
At a news conference on Monday, Mr. Trudeau said Canada was the seventh-largest defense contributor among the 31 NATO allies, but acknowledged there was still work to be done.
“We know that there is more to do and we are in the process of doing it,” he assured together with Mr. Tusk in Warsaw.
“We recognize how much more dangerous the world has become, and Canada will be there with the equipment and forces needed to do our part.” »
For his part, Prime Minister Tusk deflected criticism of Canada by calling on “the entire Western world, and especially Europe,” to ensure Ukraine has the resources it needs for a decisive victory over Russia.
Canada's defense commitments to Poland and Ukraine have been “extraordinary” so far, Tusk said, rejecting former U.S. President Donald Trump's bellicose rhetoric regarding U.S. spending. NATO.
But the simplest solution to such complaints, he believes, is for all NATO members to step up their efforts and meet the mandatory spending threshold of 2% of gross domestic product (GDP).
It will happen sooner or later, Mr Tusk said – “and it is better that they do it sooner rather than later,” he added through an interpreter.
Mr. Trudeau noted that his Liberal government has already committed to a new fleet of high-tech stealth fighters and to modernizing the joint Canada-U.S. command called NORAD.
PHOTO CZAREK SOKOLOWSKI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Andrzej Duda and Justin Trudeau
Canada is under renewed pressure to spend 2% of its GDP on defense, a target set by NATO that most other allies are expected to meet by the end of the year. Canada's spending currently stands at about 1.3% of GDP.
Both leaders also recognized that there are people elsewhere in the world, including in Europe, whose willingness to support Ukraine is at risk of weakening and who are standing in the way of the formation of a united front.
“This is a time when citizens cannot take their democracy for granted,” Trudeau warned.
Justin Trudeau, who traveled to Kyiv on Saturday to reiterate Canada's support for Ukraine, met with Mr. Tusk and President Andrzej Duda at the presidential palace in Warsaw earlier on Monday.
It is Trudeau's first visit to the Polish capital since a radical political shift in the country late last year ended eight years of Conservative rule.
Mr. Tusk, who also served as the country's prime minister from 2007 to 2014, is a centrist who took office in December and is committed to strengthening ties with the rest of Europe.
For his part, President Duda is a conservative leader who now has to deal with a very different government.
The meetings focused on the threats to Ukraine and the importance of the NATO alliance, the main bulwark between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the rest of Europe.
Support for Ukraine
Canada and Poland have thrown their support behind Ukraine as the country enters its third year of war with dwindling supplies and personnel problems, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to seek “emergency aid.” His troops recently withdrew from the strategically important eastern city of Avdiivka, giving Russia one of its greatest victories. And Russia still controls about a quarter of the country, while Ukraine failed to make a major breakthrough in its summer counteroffensive.
The looming and difficult battle did not deter Prime Minister Trudeau from reaffirming his promise to support Ukraine until victory.
“Putin cannot win,” he said Saturday in a speech from Hostomel airport in Ukraine, where Ukrainian soldiers repelled a Russian attack on the first day of the invasion.
“Ukraine will experience a victory, just like what happened here two years ago,” he added.
The Polish government wants to ensure that Canada and its other allies remain involved in the war right on its border, Canada's ambassador to the country said in a weekend interview. Catherine Godin called the war in Ukraine a real and present threat to the Polish people.
Canada and Poland are cooperating on military training missions to strengthen the capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. And Poland values Canada's role in protecting NATO's eastern flank in Latvia, said Ambassador Godin.
Connections with Europe
On what the change of government in Poland means for Canada, Ms. Godin noted that Canada will support Prime Minister Tusk's push to repair strained relations between Warsaw and Brussels following the previous European Union (EU). Polish government had described judicial independence as a threat.
In 2021, the EU denounced deficiencies in Poland's national justice systems, anti-corruption framework and media freedom.
According to Catherine Godin, “They have worked very hard for the rule of law.” Their main concern was to enable them to demonstrate that they are committed, have access to EU funding and can demonstrate their commitment to human rights. »
“It’s also in keeping with Canadian values. »