Defense Minister Bill Blair said NATO allies such as Canada need to step up aid to Ukraine as support from the United States languishes due to legislative impasses.
In an interview aired on Sunday rosemary burton live, Prime Minister Blair said the U.S. will ultimately make a critical He expressed optimism that the support bill would be passed.
“I’m very confident that Americans will get through that political process as quickly as possible, and in the meantime, all of the rest of us are working together,” Blair told CBC’s chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton. “I’m here,” he said.
Democrats in the US Congress are seeking to pass legislation that would provide billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel and introduce new measures on immigration. But Republicans blocked the bill, arguing it didn’t include strict enough provisions around the U.S. border.
Defense Minister Bill Blair discusses Canada’s increased military presence in Latvia and Ottawa’s response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
“I have great concerns about whether the United States is a reliable ally,” US President Joe Biden told reporters this week.
Prime Minister Blair, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, said he believed US aid would eventually materialize.
“They have been and continue to be generous supporters. There is clearly political activity going on in the United States right now,” he said.
“But there was a strong argument among all NATO members that we all have to step up, and we all have to do more. It’s a very concerted effort to increase munitions production, speed up munitions production, and move faster. ”
Ukraine says it is in dire need of ammunition, anti-aircraft capabilities and aircraft such as fighter jets and helicopters.
Last year, Canada promised to provide Ukraine with more than $400 million worth of advanced air defense systems, but there is little clarity on when the systems will actually be deployed in the country. Prime Minister Blair said the situation was “a bit frustrating”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country could still repel Russian forces, but a reduction in military aid flows could give Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military an advantage on the battlefield. he warned.
“The new missile system is very important and we are working as quickly as possible to deliver it to Ukraine,” he said.
Canada also recently announced it would provide an additional $60 million to a program to train Ukrainian pilots in F-16 fighter jets.
New weapon system for Latvia missions
During his trip to Europe, Prime Minister Tony Blair also announced that Canada would purchase an air defense system for troops stationed in Latvia. Canada currently has about 1,000 soldiers, but that number is expected to rise to 2,200 by 2026.
In another interview rosemary burton liveLatvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said his country is very supportive of Canada’s activities in the Baltic states and that the military readiness of local combat groups is improving.
This week after former US President Donald Trump, a leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, said he would encourage Russia to do “whatever they want” to NATO countries in the NATO alliance. , the credibility of the NATO alliance was once again in the headlines. It has missed the alliance’s military spending goal of at least 2 percent of gross domestic product.
Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds spoke about the NATO Defense Ministers’ Meeting and Canada’s purchase of air defense and anti-drone capabilities for the Latvian military.
Spruds said it was important for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to take a cohesive approach.
“We should continue this effort, a unified approach that consistently addresses a variety of challenges. The United States is absolutely essential in providing security and reinforcing that unified approach,” Spruds said.
“Looking back, while there are certainly domestic political factors at play, when it comes to strategic foreign policy and security decisions, there is a unified approach among all allies.
Prime Minister Blair was similarly optimistic about the situation.
“I think this is mostly rhetoric,” he said, insisting that NATO is more active than ever and that he believes Trump will come to understand the importance of the alliance. .
“We trust and believe that the Americans are there, because they have always been there.”