By Canadian Press

Canada, allies face ‘irrational’ Putin as Trudeau heads to Europe, says Joly

Mar 22, 2022 | 12:07 PM

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says confronting an irrational Vladimir Putin will be a key task for Justin Trudeau and his European allies as the prime minister heads to Brussels.

Trudeau will kick off a whirlwind trip with an address to the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday, where he will stress the importance of both continents working together to defend democracy in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Trudeau will join other NATO leaders on Thursday to co-ordinate the military alliance’s response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine and will meet with fellow G7 leaders before returning to Canada on Friday.

Trudeau will face pressure to boost Canada’s defence budget, which according to NATO estimates stands at 1.39 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product in 2021.

Joly says Canada needs to take stock of the fact Germany has committed to increase its defence spending to the NATO target of two per cent of GDP.

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She says Canada will also have to provide more military aid to Ukraine to help it stave off the Russian attacks, and to give Kyiv more leverage in any future ceasefire talks with the Kremlin.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2022.

The Canadian Press