Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden vowed that the alliance between Canada and the United States is on a strong foundation.
The United States and Canada commit to working together on many issues, including immigration, defense and security.
President of the United States Joe Biden and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau said in a joint statement after meeting in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, on Friday. Biden is visiting Canada.
The countries also brought up the global situation with China. According to the statement, China poses a serious long-term challenge to the international order due to its disruptive activities. Economic means of coercion and human rights violations were mentioned as these actions, among others.
In a press conference after the leaders’ bilateral discussion, Biden said that he does not take China or Russia lightly. But Biden said he considered the threat posed by the countries to be partly exaggerated.
According to Biden, the United States has succeeded in expanding the number of its allies, but he does not see China and Russia succeeding in the same. He also believed that China has not supplied Russia with weapons since the war in Ukraine began.
– China has not yet delivered significant weapons to Russia. That’s not to say they might not, but so far they haven’t, Biden said.
“We consider the alliance strong and united”
In his speech in the Canadian parliament, Trudeau assured that Ukraine can count on Canada and the United States as allies.
Trudeau said that Canada, like the United States, has provided Ukraine with a significant amount of military aid in the form of cannons, ammunition and tanks. He also said that Canada has been involved in training Ukrainian forces since 2015.
Trudeau called Biden a true friend of Canada and said the alliance between the two countries means more than ever at this critical moment.
Speaking to the Canadian parliament after Trudeau, Biden said that the Russian president Vladimir Putin has failed in its goals in Ukraine.
Biden added that Russia has also failed in destabilizing the defense alliance NATO.
– We keep the alliance strong and united, and we defend every inch of NATO territory. An attack on one is an attack on all of us, Biden said.
Sources: Reuters, AFP