Canada’s top military commander tried to deliver a message of reassurance to Ukrainians on Thursday that NATO remains a stable, vital force despite turmoil and criticism — much of it from the Trump administration.
General Jennie Carignan spoke to the Kyiv Security Forum team and told CBC News, in an exclusive interview afterwards from the capital of Ukraine, that disagreements between allies are part of the democratic process and have happened before.
“It was very important that we make it clear that NATO’s unity is absolutely strong,” said Carignan.
“NATO has faced difficult times before and we will face this with determination,” he said. “We will deal with all this, but I have to say in the military, we work and cooperate very well.”
This past month, US President Donald Trump has increased his criticism of NATO, especially because of the alliance’s refusal to support the US and Israel in their war with Iran. He called NATO a “paper tiger” and “useless” and expressed frustration that major allies like Spain, Italy, and France have restricted access to their airspace and bases for offensive operations.
The talk of ‘European NATO’
The western military alliance continued until it was broken in January by Trump’s threats to take over Greenland in the name of security and resource development.
He has even suggested that he intends to withdraw the United States from the alliance that he helped create almost eighty years ago.
The Wall Street Journal reported that European NATO allies are actively working on a “Plan B” or “European NATO” to maintain the alliance’s operational capabilities in the event of a significant US withdrawal – or reduced commitment.
While the 2023 law requires the Trump administration to seek the approval of Congress to formally withdraw, it has been suggested by senior US officials that Washington could try to bypass that provision by narrowing the funding coalition. – or unilaterally reducing the involvement of the US military, such as withdrawing officers from key leadership positions.
Carignan said he doubts the US will withdraw.
“I don’t see it from my point of view,” he said, noting that the coalition “always controls everyone’s contribution and reorganizes our plans and responds to various critical situations.”
The Ukrainian question
The question of NATO unity is important for Ukraine. The Eastern European country’s desire to join the alliance has been used by Russian President Vladimir Putin as an excuse for an ongoing war with its neighbor.
Although NATO has publicly stated that Ukraine’s path to membership “cannot be reversed,” Secretary General Mark Rutte said on April 9 that there is currently no political consensus among member states to extend the invitation.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, speaking in Brussels on Tuesday about Ukraine and the state of peace talks, said that there is currently no ‘consensus’ from all of Ukraine’s allies to join the military alliance.
He pointedly named the United States, Germany, Slovakia and Hungary as the main countries “participating” in Ukraine’s rapid progress towards union.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, has reportedly signaled a willingness to consider Western security guarantees as an alternative to immediate NATO membership.
‘Time for American Leadership’
Earlier on Thursday, Britain’s Prince Harry, the youngest son of King Charles, delivered a speech at a security forum where Canada’s Carignan spoke.
He praised the way Ukraine “bravely and effectively defends eastern Europe” and suggested that the country represents an important moral obligation for the United States, as it made the Kyiv government give up its nuclear weapons in the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“America was part of the guarantee that the sovereignty and borders of Ukraine would be respected,” said Prince Harry.
“This is a time for American leadership, a time for America to show that it can honor its international treaty obligations, not for charity but for its enduring role in global security and strategic stability.”
Canada’s military role
Canada, since 2015, has been helping to train Ukrainian military and security forces. The Carney administration recently extended Operation Unifier until 2029.
Since its inception, the Canadian military has trained more than 47,000 members of the Security Forces of Ukraine (SFU) – nearly 13,000 of whom were trained at various locations across Europe following the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.
Training often covers a range of basic and advanced military skills, including tactical medical training, combat engineering and leadership skills and education.
Since many Ukrainian soldiers have more combat experience than their fellow instructors, the country has begun to adopt more training.
CBC’s Murray Brewster reveals what Russia’s strategy could be as it moves into Ukraine.
High-ranking Ukrainian military officials, including Deputy Chief of the General Staff Col. Yevhen Mezhevikin, was quoted as saying that foreign instructors often lack the modern, powerful experience of fighting a major enemy like Russia.
Training centers are being expanded in the safe areas of western Ukraine, and some training is now being conducted directly between military units in the field to maintain safety and realism. It was especially important when it came to transferring skills, such as drone warfare tactics, electronic warfare and unmanned ground vehicles.
Carignan welcomed the change and said it meant the Canadian military had to adjust its curriculum.
“What we have done recently is to focus our efforts on training the coaches,” said Carignan.
“The armed forces that are members of Ukraine come back from the front with the best, the best and the latest information from the front. So we match that with teaching techniques and how to build training sessions and a program, and then the Ukrainians bring their own training.”
