Washington, Canada, has become an outlier among the 32-member NATO alliance, a major U.S. media outlet said Monday, on the eve of the crucial NATO summit in this city to be hosted by President American Joe Biden.
"In recent years, Ottawa has become an outlier among the alliance's 32 members. It has failed to meet its domestic military spending targets, has not met benchmarks for funding new equipment, and has no plans to meet them. ", "Political". saying.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Washington, DC to participate in this year's NATO summit that formally begins on Tuesday. According to his office, the summit will be an opportunity for the prime minister to reaffirm Canada's commitment to Euro-Atlantic security and stability, particularly in the face of ongoing Russian aggression and destabilization.
During his meetings here, Trudeau will highlight Canada's contributions to NATO's collective defense efforts across Europe, including through Operation REASSURANCE, Canada's largest active military deployment overseas, his office said. .
"Politico" said Canada, one of the 12 founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), quickly signed the 2014 commitment to spend 2 percent of its GDP on defense, following the seizure of Ukraine's Crimea. by Russian President Vladimir Putin. . The alliance as a whole may have been slow to get there, but this year, 23 of NATO's 32 members will hit the mark as fears grow on the alliance's eastern front about Putin's plans.
According to "Politico", during the NATO summit, its members will pressure Canada to provide the money, warning that things could get much worse if Donald Trump returns to the White House.
"What's happening now, that everyone is spending more, it's become clear that Canadians aren't even trying," said Max Bergmann, a former State Department arms control official, quoted by "Politico."
"Politico" finds the Canadian case particularly frustrating, according to diplomats, because of Ottawa's apparent lack of urgency, despite major problems with its aging military equipment and strong economy. His military is so underfunded that half of his equipment is considered "unavailable and unusable," according to a leaked internal report.
"The Canadian public doesn't really see the need," said Philippe Lagassé, Barton Professor at Carleton University in Canada.
"If forced to choose between defense spending, social programs or tax cuts, defense would always come last. So there is no political benefit in keeping the promise," he said.
Before Trudeau's visit, in its 2024 budget, the Canadian government announced $8.1 billion over five years and $73 billion over 20 years in new defense spending. This builds on historic investments the federal government has made to date to support members of the country's armed forces, strengthen Canada's defense capabilities and respond to global challenges.
Since 2022, Canada has committed more than $19 billion in multifaceted support to Ukraine. This includes $4 billion in military aid and equipment donations, such as Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and an armored recovery vehicle, armored combat support vehicles, anti-tank weapons and other weapons and equipment.
Other assistance includes $12.4 billion in financial assistance, $352.5 million in humanitarian assistance, $442 million in development assistance and more than $210 million in security and stabilization programming, the prime minister's office said. .
At the summit, Trudeau will meet with NATO allies and international partners to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security.
"In recent years, Ottawa has become an outlier among the alliance's 32 members. It has failed to meet its domestic military spending targets, has not met benchmarks for funding new equipment, and has no plans to meet them. ", "Political". saying.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Washington, DC to participate in this year's NATO summit that formally begins on Tuesday. According to his office, the summit will be an opportunity for the prime minister to reaffirm Canada's commitment to Euro-Atlantic security and stability, particularly in the face of ongoing Russian aggression and destabilization.
During his meetings here, Trudeau will highlight Canada's contributions to NATO's collective defense efforts across Europe, including through Operation REASSURANCE, Canada's largest active military deployment overseas, his office said. .
"Politico" said Canada, one of the 12 founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), quickly signed the 2014 commitment to spend 2 percent of its GDP on defense, following the seizure of Ukraine's Crimea. by Russian President Vladimir Putin. . The alliance as a whole may have been slow to get there, but this year, 23 of NATO's 32 members will hit the mark as fears grow on the alliance's eastern front about Putin's plans.
According to "Politico", during the NATO summit, its members will pressure Canada to provide the money, warning that things could get much worse if Donald Trump returns to the White House.
"What's happening now, that everyone is spending more, it's become clear that Canadians aren't even trying," said Max Bergmann, a former State Department arms control official, quoted by "Politico."
"Politico" finds the Canadian case particularly frustrating, according to diplomats, because of Ottawa's apparent lack of urgency, despite major problems with its aging military equipment and strong economy. His military is so underfunded that half of his equipment is considered "unavailable and unusable," according to a leaked internal report.
"The Canadian public doesn't really see the need," said Philippe Lagassé, Barton Professor at Carleton University in Canada.
"If forced to choose between defense spending, social programs or tax cuts, defense would always come last. So there is no political benefit in keeping the promise," he said.
Before Trudeau's visit, in its 2024 budget, the Canadian government announced $8.1 billion over five years and $73 billion over 20 years in new defense spending. This builds on historic investments the federal government has made to date to support members of the country's armed forces, strengthen Canada's defense capabilities and respond to global challenges.
Since 2022, Canada has committed more than $19 billion in multifaceted support to Ukraine. This includes $4 billion in military aid and equipment donations, such as Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and an armored recovery vehicle, armored combat support vehicles, anti-tank weapons and other weapons and equipment.
Other assistance includes $12.4 billion in financial assistance, $352.5 million in humanitarian assistance, $442 million in development assistance and more than $210 million in security and stabilization programming, the prime minister's office said. .
At the summit, Trudeau will meet with NATO allies and international partners to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security.
