National Defence Minister Anita Anand and Latvian Defence Minister Inara Murniece hold a joint news conference at the Canadian War Museum, Wednesday, May 10, 2023 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – Defence Minister Anita Anand announced today that Canadian military members and their Latvian counterparts will begin training Ukrainian soldiers in Latvia this month.
That means Canada is adding a third country to its training efforts under Operation Unifier, which is already active in Poland and the United Kingdom.
Anand made the announcement after a bilateral meeting with the Latvian defence minister in Ottawa, saying the commitment is an acknowledgment that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine does not appear likely to end anytime soon.
The pair also spoke at length about the plan to surge a Canadian-led battle group in the Baltic country to a NATO brigade, which was announced last June.
Negotiations are underway with the 10 other countries that are part of the battle group to determine what they each can contribute, but there is no timeline for implementation.
About 800 Canadian Armed Forces members are currently deployed to the country.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.
