Carney extends the Canadian military mission in Latvia until 2029

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada will keep the forces in Latvia until 2029, as part of a mission to deter Russian aggression in Europe, which gave Ottawa a major role in the Atlantic alliance.

“We must deter and fortify, and this is the way we can provide real reassurance,” Carney said on Tuesday at a press conference in Riga, surrounded by Latvian Prime Minister Evica Celina.

Carney’s office said that there are now 2000 Canadian armed forces in Latvia as part of the reassurance process, which is the largest mission abroad in Canada.

The Canadian forces have been there since 2017 to enhance the defense of the eastern wing of Europe and deter Russia from the invasion of the Baltic countries, through what many call the “journey”.

The current power of the mission ends in March 2026, but Carney said he was planning to extend this for another three years.

“We will increase in this process the capabilities of the brigade here in Latvia, strengthen our collective defense, enhance our cooperative security and maintain a strong NATO.”

Canada coordinates the role of soldiers from about 10 countries in Latvia, to support the country’s defenses and train Latvian soldiers, according to Professor of Carlton Stephen Sadan.

“We are above our weight,” he said in an interview. “We are mainly treated by the rest of the NATO equally with the United Kingdom and Germany,” which coordinates from the similar multinational brigades in Estonia and Lithuania, respectively.

Full staff from 2200

Ottawa aims to obtain a full cadre of 2,200 Canadian soldiers that were constantly deployed in Latvia at some point in 2026, and it built a new infrastructure at a dear base near Riga in the past two years to compensate for overcrowding.

He said that Canada sometimes has the full presence of 2,200 soldiers on the site for specific exercises.

He said that Carney’s visit is likely to mean “help in educating Canadians about this main commitment” and put a face on defense for defensive spending that comes at the expense of other services to Canadians.

“He may go there to appear to Canada where the money is going, and why the money is necessary,” he said.

Saeedan added that the task is especially complicated because France was likely to lead it, but Canada instead runs it with smaller units than many countries, which require more work to coordinate.

“We are doing a lot that is not necessarily recognized in Canada,” he said.

The mission began after Russia’s invasion of 2014 for Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea, and has assumed increasing importance since Moscow has widely invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Putin is “afraid” for Zelinski’s interview: Carney

Earlier on Tuesday, Carney said in Berlin that Russian President Vladimir Putin is afraid to sit with Ukrainian President Voludmir Zelinsky, after US President Donald Trump said he should talk directly about how to end the war.

“We see President Putin putting conditions and circumstances, stopping and stopping, and fear of obtaining this
Carney said.

Marcus Kulja, an older colleague at the McDonald Lorieer Institute, said Canada’s mission in Latvia is a great contribution.

“It may be one of the most important international tasks that we have participated in since the liberation of the Netherlands in World War II,” he said.

He said: “It allows them to continue to live their lives normally, although this threat is correct on the threshold of their door.”
This applies to the Latvis, as well as the neighboring Estonians and the Litanic.

“He explains that Canada is active, and it will not be paid by Vladimir Putin,” he said.

The Global Affairs Canada file on Latvia says that both countries are “participating in a close relationship based on common basic values, such as support for democracy, human rights and the international regime.”

Latvia has a deep note because of the violence facing both residents during the Nazi occupation and within the time of Latvia as part of the Soviet Union.