Prime Minister Mark Carney and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina attend a press conference in Riga, Latvia, on Tuesday.Ints Kalnins/Reuters
Canada will extend its military operation in Latvia for an additional three years, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Tuesday, continuing a mission that first launched more than 10 years ago after Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine.
Mr. Carney made the announcement during a visit to Riga, where he met with Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina.
Canada’s current military operation was scheduled to end in 2026. With more than 2,000 Canadian Armed Forces members on site, Operation Reassurance is Canada’s largest overseas mission. Canada leads the multinational brigade in Latvia, which is made up of about 3,000 personnel from 14 NATO countries.
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“Our leadership of that, our commitment here on the ground, will extend for three more years,” Mr. Carney said. “And we will, in the process, increase the brigade capabilities here in Latvia, reinforce our collective defence, strengthen our co-operative security and keep the NATO presence strong.”
Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper approved the initial Canadian mission in Latvia after Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Diplomatic responses followed, including Russia’s expulsion from the G8.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Recent high-level talks aimed at securing a peace agreement appear to have stalled.
When former prime minister Justin Trudeau extended and expanded Canada’s mission in 2023, the government described the country’s role as a military presence in Eastern Europe to deter Russian aggression after the latest invasion of Ukraine.
Ms. Silina said Canadian Forces members who serve for a tour in Riga speak positively of their time there.
“Many of those troops have mentioned that they are very happy to return here in Latvia in a military rotation,” she said. “Each Canadian troop and their family members are welcome in Latvia, and we’ll take the best care of them.”
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Mr. Carney arrived in Riga on Tuesday evening after a day of meetings in Germany. Prior to that, he was in Kyiv on Sunday to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day and met with Polish leaders in Warsaw on Monday.
He is scheduled to meet with Canadian troops in Latvia on Wednesday before returning to Ottawa.