Today, Defence Minister Anita Anand attended a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Extraordinary Defence Ministers' Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
During the meeting, Minister Anand and her Allied counterparts emphasized the importance of continuing to strengthen and adapt the Alliance and focused on consequences for Russia's actions.
Ukraine's Minister of Defence, Oleksii Reznikov, joined the meeting virtually to describe in detail the destruction caused by Russia and the determination of the Ukrainian people to defend their country.
Minister Anand reaffirmed Canada's ironclad commitment to NATO and unwavering support for Ukraine. She highlighted Prime Minister Trudeau's recent announcement that Canada will renew its multi-year commitment of Operation REASSURANCE, the Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) support to NATO's assurance and deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe. She further underscored Canada's support by highlighting the CAF's efforts through Operation UNIFIER, Canada's non-combat training and capacity building mission in support of Ukraine's security forces, as well as Canada's recent military equipment contributions to Ukraine.
On the margins of the meeting, Minister Anand hosted bilateral discussions with counterparts from Poland , Romania, Turkey, and the United Kingdom to discuss the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine. They reflected on measures that have already been taken and ongoing coordinated efforts to restore global peace, maintain regional stability, and protect the rules-based international order.
Tomorrow in Brussels, Minister Anand will meet with U.S. Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin III, for a bilateral meeting.
Canada stands with the people of Ukraine and will continue to work closely with its NATO Allies and partners to coordinate support to Ukraine with military supplies, financial support and humanitarian aid as it fights for its sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.
