Ottawa talks with Allies about strengthening the Canadian-led battle group in Latvia as NATO moves to strengthen its eastern front with Russia.
In an interview with The Canadian Press today, Latvia’s Ambassador to Canada opened discussions as Prime Minister Justin Trudo prepares for a NATO summit in which Russia and the invasion of Ukraine will be a top priority.
Kaspars Ozuliņš says that the goal is to add a large battle group of 2,000 soldiers, which Canada has been leading in Latvia since 2017, which will deter further Russian aggression in the region.
The Latvian Battle Group is one of the four NATO groups established in 2017. Germany is leading another such unit in Lithuania, Britain is commanding a unit in Estonia, and the United States is in charge of forces in Poland.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed today that the four battle groups will be upgraded to brigade level, which will mean doubling the number of troops assigned to each.
Both Germany and Britain have recently announced their readiness to command larger combat units in Lithuania and Estonia, and O’Zulin hopes Canada will announce something similar during this week’s NATO summit in Spain.
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