Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended CanadaB次元官网网址檚 defence spending Monday as Polish counterpart Donald Tusk urged the rest of the West to confront the very real dangers now posed by Vladimir PutinB次元官网网址檚 Russia.

There is still more to do, but Canada is doing it, Trudeau said during a joint news conference alongside Tusk, who now finds himself back in his old post as PolandB次元官网网址檚 prime minister.

B次元官网网址淚 recognize Poland stepping up significantly in its own military spending. But so will Canada,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said, the two leaders flanked by the Polish and Canadian flags.

B次元官网网址淲e will continue to make sure that the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces B次元官网网址� and the people around the world, our allies, who rely on them B次元官网网址� will continue to get the equipment and the support they need.B次元官网网址�

Tusk, for his part, steered his criticisms away from Canada directly as he urged the B次元官网网址渨hole western world, and especially EuropeB次元官网网址� to ensure Ukraine has the resources it needs for a decisive victory over Russia.

B次元官网网址淲ithin the next couple of years, or even months, we have to reach defence capacities as regards ammunition production, and all kinds of weapons that will really exceed the Russian capacities,B次元官网网址� he said through a translator.

B次元官网网址淥therwise, Europe will be subject to Russian aggression and will not be able to help Ukraine.B次元官网网址�

CanadaB次元官网网址檚 defence commitments to Poland and Ukraine to date have been B次元官网网址渙utstanding,B次元官网网址� Tusk said, as he dismissed former U.S. president Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 bellicose rhetoric around NATO spending.

But the easiest solution to such complaints, he suggested, is for all NATO members to step up and meet the mandated spending threshold of two per cent of GDP.

B次元官网网址淚 think that we would deprive of arguments B次元官网网址� such politicians as the former U.S. president, who think that NATO will not defend allies if they donB次元官网网址檛 fulfil NATO requirements,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淭he simplest answer is that we all, with no exception, fulfil those requirements.B次元官网网址�

It will happen sooner or later, Tusk added B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址渁nd itB次元官网网址檚 better than they do it sooner than later.B次元官网网址�

Canada is the seventh-largest contributor to defence of all 31 NATO allies, said Trudeau, noting that his Liberal government has already committed to a new fleet of high-tech stealth fighters and the modernization of the Canada-U.S. joint command known as Norad.

Both leaders acknowledged that there are those elsewhere in the world, including in Europe, whose willingness to support Ukraine threatens to falter and who stand in the way of a united front.

B次元官网网址淚t is a time where citizens cannot take their democracies for granted,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said.

B次元官网网址淲e need to continue to be there, to lean in B次元官网网址� not just on being worried about their daily challenges B次元官网网址� but making sure we are building peace, stability and prosperity for future generations as well.B次元官网网址�

Trudeau, who spent Saturday in Kyiv reaffirming CanadaB次元官网网址檚 support for Ukraine, met earlier with Tusk and President Andrzej Duda at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw.

He capped off his trip Monday with a visit to the Polish capital, his first since a political sea change in the country late last year ended eight years of national conservative rule.

Tusk, who also served as prime minister from 2007-14, is a centrist who took office in December and has been working to strengthen ties with the rest of Europe. Duda, meanwhile, stands on the other side of the political divide B次元官网网址� a conservative leader who now finds himself contending with a very different government.

The meetings focused on the dangers facing Ukraine and the importance of the NATO alliance, the primary bulwark between Russia and the rest of Europe.

Canada is under renewed pressure to spend two per cent of its gross domestic product on defence B次元官网网址� a NATO-mandated target most other allies are expected to hit by the end of the year.

CanadaB次元官网网址檚 spending hovers around 1.3 per cent of GDP.

Both Canada and Poland have rallied around Ukraine as the country enters its third year of war with dwindling supplies and personnel challenges, prompting an urgent plea for help from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Its troops recently withdrew from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow one of its biggest victories. And Russia still controls roughly a quarter of the country after Ukraine failed to make any major breakthroughs with its summertime counteroffensive.

The looming uphill battle didnB次元官网网址檛 prevent Trudeau from beginning his visit with a renewed vow to back Ukraine until it sees victory.

B次元官网网址淧utin cannot win,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said Saturday in a speech from Hostomel airport, where Ukrainian soldiers beat back a Russian assault on the first day of the invasion.

B次元官网网址淯kraine will see victory, just like what happened on this ground two years ago.B次元官网网址�

The Polish government wants to ensure Canada and other allies stay engaged in the war raging just over its border, CanadaB次元官网网址檚 ambassador to the country said in an interview on the weekend.

Catherine Godin called the war in Ukraine a real and present threat to the people of Poland.

The two countries have been co-operating on military training missions to bolster the military skills of UkraineB次元官网网址檚 armed forces. And Poland appreciates CanadaB次元官网网址檚 role in guarding NATOB次元官网网址檚 eastern flank in Latvia, Godin said.

As for what the change of government in Poland means for Canada, Godin said Canada wants to support TuskB次元官网网址檚 momentum.

Tusk has been working to repair WarsawB次元官网网址檚 fraught relationship with Brussels after the European Union described PolandB次元官网网址檚 previous government as a threat to judicial independence.

In 2021, the EU called out what it considered deficiencies in PolandB次元官网网址檚 national justice systems, anticorruption frameworks and media freedom.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e been working really hard on the rule of law. ItB次元官网网址檚 been the key preoccupation to allow them to demonstrate that theyB次元官网网址檙e committed to it and that they can access EU funds and they are demonstrating commitment on human rights,B次元官网网址� Godin said.

B次元官网网址淭his is aligned with Canadian values as well.B次元官网网址�

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