Canada will deploy up to 460 additional troops to Eastern Europe amid escalating tensions following Russia's recognition of the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
"Today, I am authorizing a deployment of up to 460 members of the Canadian Armed Forces to Operation Reassurance," Trudeau told a news conference on Tuesday.
The deployment will see Latvia receive an additional contingent of 30 Canadian soldiers, Defense Minister Anita Anand said.
Most of the 460 soldiers will be housed aboard the frigate Halifax that is due to arrive in the region by the end of March, while the rest will be split between an artillery battery and a maritime patrol aircraft, Anand added.
On Monday, President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the breakaway people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. Under new treaties, Moscow pledged to ensure the security of the two Russian-speaking republics.
Russia's decision to recognize them came after the situation on the line of contact between Ukraine and the breakaway republics significantly worsened. (ANI/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
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