Ukraine-Russia War: Justin Trudeau assures weapon support to Ukraine amid Russian invasion

Amid Russia's continuous offence in Ukraine, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Latvia, Krišjānis Kariņš, Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez to discuss the ongoing Russian aggression and various other things, including the pre-schedule renewal of Operation Reassurance. While addressing the media, Trudeau said that Canada will continue to be there for the war-inflicted nation. 

The Canadian PM said, "Canada will continue to be there for Ukraine. We will continue to support aid to Ukraine by providing Canadian weapons. Canadian weapons will be more useful to Ukraine than Canada now. But of course, we will replace our weapons that are given to them and we will continue to invest in weapons."

Further strengthening the ties with NATO, Trudeau also announced an early multi-year renewal of Operation Reassurance to support NATO in Central and Eastern Europe. The Canadian PM said, "This Operation was set to expire next year and in the light of the situation in Europe, we decided to renew it ahead of the schedule."

"Operation Reassurance is the support to NATO's assurance and deterrence measures. The troops here not only defend Latvia but all NATO allies, including Canada. They are defending our freedom and our security, that is why this work is so important, especially in the face of continued Russian aggression," he added. 

With the ongoing tensions between Kremlin and Kyiv not seeming to subside, Trudeau has extended support to a plan which is put forward by his British counterpart Boris Johnson to ramp up the international response to the continuing Russian aggression in Ukraine. The PM is currently on a four-country whirlwind tour and he has been discussing prospects for more aid- the lethal military aid for the embattled Ukrainian armed forces as the invasion by Russia enters the 13th day. 

Earlier, Trudeau had reiterated that sanctions are the biggest weapon the West can deploy against Russia, however, international pressure on NATO is mounting after the western military alliance declined a direct plea from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to establish a no-fly zone in order to protect civilians. 

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The US used to import Russian oil, but was not highly dependent on the country for its supplies, with Mexico, Canada and Saudi Arabia also supplying. 

Russia-Ukraine War

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a special military operation on February 24 in Ukraine's Donbass region which swiftly extended across the country. The war between the two countries was declared after Russia recognised the independence of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and ordered its army to conduct a "peacekeeping operation" in the area. Meanwhile, the two countries have also held three rounds of peace negotiations so far, but they have failed to yield desired results.