The North Atlantic Treaty Organization can withstand criticism from US President Donald Trump and the defense grouping still plays a key role in strengthening the West’s security vis-à-vis Russia, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said on Monday. TASR writes about it according to an AFP report. “NATO as a defense alliance focused on collective security has never been more important than today,“said Anandová in an interview with the AFP agency in Brussels, where the head of Canadian diplomacy met with her departmental colleagues from 27 EU member states.
Given the ongoing tension with the Trump administration, Canada is trying to strengthen its trade relations with Europe and reduce its dependence on the United States, including in the area of defense. “The EU is an extremely important part of Canada’s efforts to diversify trade and we will continue to build supply chains and trade relationships to double trade outside the US over the next 10 years.” she stated.
Anand, who also negotiated with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, rejected the view that the American president fatally weakened the alliance. In this context, she emphasized that it is a “resilient” defense group. “It is reasonable that member states have different views, but the resilience of the organization means that we come together, we have difficult conversations and we come away from these negotiations committed to a common defense,” she said.
Trump rocked the alliance by criticizing European allies for their response to the US-Israeli war on Iran. Washington also caused a stir in Europe when it announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, and the president later added that there could be more. The Canadian minister emphasized that solving Russian activities in the Arctic is one of NATO’s key priorities. At the same time, she pointed out that her country plays an important role in this region.
The alliance has stepped up its activity in the Arctic region as part of a deal with Trump to force him to abandon his plans for Denmark’s semi-autonomous territory – Greenland. Anand, who together with the EU organized a conference on the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia, also praised the “resilience” of Kyiv. “Ukraine is still successful in defending its territorial integrity,” said the head of Canadian diplomacy.
