Carney Extends Military Mission in Latvia, Calls It Key to ‘Deterring Russian Aggression’

Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the Canadian military contingent in Latvia after announcing the mission will be extended for three more years.

“To secure lasting peace in Ukraine and Europe, we must deter and fortify,” Carney said in an Aug. 26 statement. “For over a decade, Canadian troops have played an indispensable role in deterring Russian aggression on NATO’s Eastern Flank and fortifying our shared defence.”

Speaking at an Aug. 26 press conference in Latvia’s capital, Riga, alongside Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, Carney announced that the military mission, Operation Reassurance, would extend for another three years through to 2029 to “reinforce our collective defense, strengthen our cooperative security, and keep the NATO presence strong.” He said the need for the military operation has intensified with Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine since 2022.

Operation Reassurance was launched in 2014 after Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine, and is the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) largest overseas mission, which supports NATO in central and eastern Europe. It involves the deployment of ships, an air task force, and a land task force with the aim of preventing Russia from invading Baltic countries.

About 2,000 CAF troops are currently deployed as part of Operation Reassurance. As well, CAF troops have trained more than 45,000 Ukrainian soldiers through another mission dubbed Operation Unifier since 2015.

The prime minister noted that in June, both Canada and Latvia committed to increasing defence spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2030, which he said for Canada represents a “quadrupling” of defence expenditure from 2024 levels.

Carney visited the Ādaži Military Base in Riga on Aug. 27, the last day of his defence-focused trip in Europe, to visit Canadian troops who are part of Operation Reassurance in Latvia. He toured the barracks and other installations at the base, and soldiers demonstrated how they use drones, tanks, and other equipment.

Carney visited other countries bordering Russia this week, including Poland and Ukraine. While in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Aug. 24, he announced that Canada would include a $220 million drone partnership as part of its $2 billion aid package for Ukraine.

Speaking at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the two leaders met in Kyiv, Carney said that Canada would not rule out deploying military troops to Ukraine as part of an eventual security guarantee against Russia.