Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will not “walk away” from any NATO member, while Russia and Ukraine negotiations expand to broader European security issues.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will not abandon NATO allies, speaking at a news conference Saturday in Manila.
“There’s no way that Canada as a NATO member is going to walk away from any other NATO member — ever,” Carney said.
Carney’s remarks came as talks brokered by the United States between Russia and Ukraine aim to end Moscow’s incursions into Ukraine that began in 2014 and expanded into a full-scale invasion in 2022.
The negotiations have widened beyond borders and prisoners to include broader European security arrangements, including how NATO functions, which has raised fears about pressure to soften the alliance’s stance that it will protect any NATO country that is attacked, including states that border Russia.
Carney said Canada wants “more stable outcomes” than repeating historical missteps, and he cited efforts from the 1940s, the Minsk agreements and the French policy of cordon sanitaire.
He said the “security architecture for free Europe” should be determined by “free Europe and NATO,” not by Russia or “a redux of the Minsk agreement.”
Carney also said Canada’s position has been demonstrated through its sanctions and a recent announcement banning athletes competing under Russian or Belarus flags at sporting events in Canada.
He added that Canada stands “firmly with Ukraine, firmly with democracy, territorial integrity, rule of law,” and that those choices put the country “on the other side of Vladimir Putin’s Russia.”
Carney said Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in Shenzhen, China next week, where Carney also plans to be present.
Carney said he will not boycott the traditional “family photo” of leaders at the summit, adding, “I will participate in the photos, out of respect for the host.”
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