Canada joins other ‘Coalition of the Willing’ nations in pledging support for post-war efforts to protect Ukraine from a future Russian invasion.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will deploy “direct and scalable military assistance” to Ukraine following a ceasefire. That’s according to a readout released by the Prime Minister’s Office following a call with the ‘Coalition of the Willing,’ a group of allied nations acting together in support of Ukraine:
“Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, participated in a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing chaired by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, alongside the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Coalition discussed options to provide security guarantees to Ukraine. Prime Minister Carney, alongside fellow members of the Coalition, welcomed the openness of the United States to backstop these efforts in order to support long-term peace and security for both Ukraine and Europe.
The Prime Minister affirmed Canada’s steadfast commitment to the Coalition, and its willingness to deploy direct and scalable military assistance in support of upholding a ceasefire and lasting peace.”
This statement is in line with the Prime Minister’s previous remarks in support of credible security guarantees for Ukraine.
Canadian credibility
At a time when Canada needs our allies to view us as a credible partner, pledging our support for a post-war reassurance force in Ukraine demonstrates that we take our responsibilities seriously. This will benefit Canada in multiple ways, including by deepening our ties to our European partners, who will value our willingness to help bolster their security, which will make it easier to sign trade deals and defence production agreements. Further, stronger Canada-Ukraine military ties mean our military industry can benefit from Ukraine’s defence innovation.
This is a smart move by the government, and in conjunction with the increased defence budget and pledges to raise defence spending in the years ahead, signals that Canada is finally emerging from an era of military underinvestment and naivety.
Of course, any talk of a post-war deployment in Ukraine requires the war to be over. And for that to happen, Canada and our allies must continue to provide military aid to Ukraine to ensure they negotiate with Russia from a position of strength.
Spencer Fernando
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