OTTAWA — The Harper government struck a provocative pose Thursday, telling Russia to “back off” in Ukraine, promising to campaign for NATO membership on behalf of another former Soviet republic and urging all allies to do more.
The military alliance agreed in a Brussels meeting to establish a series of six command centres and two regional headquarters deep inside eastern Europe, creating important hubs for training and the possible deployment of troops in a crisis.
The defence ministers also said they will increase NATO’s rapid reaction force to 30,000 troops.
The increasing violence in eastern Ukraine and apparent buildup of Russian forces in …read more
Source: National Post
