cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5127538

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“NATO countries defend themselves,” Canadian PM Mark Carney said … “Certainly, we will do what’s necessary in order to protect those countries.”

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European diplomats have warned the Kremlin that the alliance was ready to respond to further Russian violations of its airspace with full force, including by downing Russian planes, Bloomberg News reported on Sept. 25. That meeting came after three MiG-31 fighter jets flew over Estonia and drones appeared over Poland, in what political observers said was a tactic by Putin to test the alliance’s resolve.

Carney, 60, said Russia’s use of jets and drones over European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should be viewed as a signal of weakness by Putin, not strength. Western allies have discussed tighter sanctions and the European Union is working on a plan to use frozen Russian central bank assets to give a funding boost to Ukraine — a plan that Canada and the UK have joined. “Russia’s under pressure. They’re trying what they can to shift, but they’re under economic pressure,” the prime minister said. “Their military situation — they were making some progress over the course of the summer. That progress has stopped.”

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“President Putin has done nothing but miscalculate in this war. He made the calculation that NATO would become divided. NATO has solidified,” Carney said. “He made the calculation that President Zelenskiy would flee. He made the calculation there would be an uprising in his favor. He has miscalculated consistently in this conflict.”

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The prime minister also hired a former Royal Bank of Canada executive to lead a new agency to build domestic manufacturing and accelerate the rearming of the Canadian military.

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