The G7 condemned a Russian rocket attack on a crowded shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk on Monday that killed up to 18 people as a war crime. Canada went on a $ 200 million loan through the International Monetary Fund to help the Kiev government “meet its urgent liquidity needs.” Since the start of Russia’s military action against Ukraine, Canada has pledged $ 1.6 billion in loans and $ 1.3 billion in direct assistance to Ukraine, including $ 320 million in humanitarian aid. “It is important that people do not lose focus and focus on what is happening in Ukraine,” said Prime Minister Justin Trinto. “We must and will remain committed until Ukraine and democracy prevail.” G7 leaders have spent the past three days at a resort in the Alps, south of Munich, assessing the impact of the war in Ukraine on the global economy, including rising inflation, food and fuel prices. They will meet again on Wednesday in Madrid, Spain, under the banner of NATO, where the Western military alliance plans a significant increase in the number of troops on high alert – a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It will also expand existing battle groups in Eastern Europe, originally set up five years ago to reassure Baltic allies in the wake of Russian annexation of Crimea.
Exploring a new energy strategy
Decisions can be costly for NATO countries whose economies are suffering from inflation and energy shock. Canada leads one of the existing battle teams in Latvia. Trinto was unbound when asked if NATO’s decision meant more troops. “We, like others, are developing plans so that we can escalate quickly, and these are discussions that I look forward to having in the next two days in NATO,” he said. CLOCKS Trinto discusses Canada’s evolving presence in NATO:
Trinto on Canada’s role in an expanding NATO
Prime Minister Justin Trinto is responding to a question about Canada’s commitments to NATO as the organization announces a huge jump in troop numbers in its high-alert force. In a recent statement, G7 leaders said they were “working to ensure that Russia does not take advantage of its position as an energy producer to take advantage of its aggression against vulnerable countries.” They will continue to discuss ways to impose a price cap on Russian oil, an attempt to starve the Kremlin war machine. India, whose prime minister attended the summit as an observer, is buying Russian oil at a discount from the invasion of Ukraine. Trinto met with Indian Prime Minister Nerendra Modi, but neither side said what was discussed. Energy security in Europe, which is trying to end its dependence on Russian oil and gas, has been a major issue in bilateral talks. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has shown interest in talking to Trinto about it. “Canada is a big producer and therefore the prospect of Prime Minister Trinto is important,” Draghi said as he entered the meeting. “We will talk about it.” At the end of the day, G7 leaders said that while taking action to address the current energy crisis, they have not abandoned their “climate and biodiversity goals, including the energy transition” away from fossil fuels.
