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On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canada would be sending six CF-18 fighter jets to crisis-hit Eastern Europe “in response to a NATO request”. The move will see Canada expanding and its current role in Eastern Europe. “Obviously this is in response to the situation that’s developing there”, Harper said, expressing particular concern over the “expansionism and militarism” of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.
Twenty Canadian Forces Staff Officers will go to the NATO headquarters in Brussels as NATO ramps up its response to the pro-Russian aggression in Ukraine. On Wednesday, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced that NATO would deploy additional resources like jets and warships to many former Eastern Bloc countries. He added that Britain, Denmark, USA, Germany, Poland and Portugal all agreed to send their fighter jets to the region for air patrol.
“We do have the necessary capacity to implement these measures that have been recommended by our military authorities. We already know that some Allies will come forward with concrete contributions and I’m sure that more will follow”, Rasmussen added.
NATO has been forced to respond to the growing violence in Ukraine, where pro-Russian forces are taking control of media and government buildings, declaring independence and ordering for referendums to join Russia. Their actions have only resulted in clashes with Ukrainian forces and help grow fears that Vladimir Putin will annex Ukraine after the Crimean peninsula.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is set to visit the region soon, in a trip that includes the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia and Poland. In his written statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper added “Canada remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine and will not stand idly by while its sovereignty and territorial integrity are threatened. Together with our allies, we will continue to monitor events closely and take coordinated action to enhance Europe’s security and show our support for the people of Ukraine.”
