۴ý

Politics

    • Talks in Germany end without decision on sending Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine

    Share
    OTTAWA -

    Defence Minister Anita Anand was heading home from a meeting in Germany on Friday after she and her counterparts from the United States and across Europe failed to make much headway on whether to provide battle tanks to Ukraine.

    The question had been at the top of the agenda for the U.S.-led talks at Ramstein Air Base, where defence ministers from 50 countries gathered to discuss and co-ordinate plans to give new military aid to Ukraine.

    The Ukrainian government led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said it needs tanks to protect its troops and launch counter-offensives against Russian forces, particularly in the eastern part of the country.

    The Trudeau government has not said whether Canada is open to sending some of its German-made Leopard 2 tanks, which were purchased from Germany in 2007 during the height of the war in Afghanistan.

    But before Canada can even entertain the idea, it needs Berlin's sign-off to allow it to re-export the tanks to Ukraine, which is not a member of the NATO military alliance.

    Despite pleas from Ukrainian officials, Germany has so far resisted mounting pressure to quickly supply Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, or at least clear the way for other countries, such as Poland, to deliver them from their own stocks.

    The defence minister of Poland, which has pledged a company of 14 Leopard tanks on the condition that other countries also supply them, told reporters in Ramstein that 15 countries that have the vehicles talked about the issue but no decisions were made.

    Mariusz Blaszczak called the meeting a "good discussion among allies" and said the matter would be discussed again in the future.

    German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said opinions among allies were mixed, and added that "the impression that has occasionally arisen, that there is a united coalition and Germany is standing in the way, is wrong."

    Speaking to reporters outside the conference hall at midday, he added that while there was no resolution yet, "we will make our decisions as soon as possible."

    Anand told reporters ahead of the meeting that she spoke with Pistorius, who only took office on Thursday. But she did not say whether the two discussed the provision of tanks, adding tanks aren't the only thing Ukraine needs.

    "That's why Canada provided armoured vehicles," she said. "That's why Canada provided our winter clothing and M777 (howitzers) and the Gustaf anti-tank weapon system. Because these are all capabilities that Ukraine has specifically requested."

    The four M777 howitzers and the 100 Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles were donated to Ukraine from the Canadian Army's stocks and have yet to be replaced.

    While it's unclear the degree to which those donations have affected the Army's training and readiness, defence analyst David Perry noted that Canada send more than 10 per cent of the military's stock of M777s.

    The Canadian Army has 112 Leopard 2 tanks in a number of different configurations, according to the Department of National Defence, including 82 specifically designed for combat and 30 that are used for engineering and to recover disabled vehicles.

    Retired lieutenant-general and former Army commander Marquis Hainse said that is a "limited" number, adding it would be difficult to share any without affecting the Army's operations and capabilities.

    "We must be careful not to deplete our own stock and not be able to maintain our expertise due to a lack of operational Leopard 2s in our own Canadian arsenal," he said.

    Retired lieutenant-general Mike Day said the reality is that Canada has the "bare minimum" needed to meet the Army's operational and training needs -- and that any donation would be "inconsequential and tokenism."

    He suggested the debate around providing tanks threatens to distract from the bigger picture of Ukraine's overall needs, and how Canada and the international community are working to meet them.

    U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin defended German leaders on Friday, saying: "They are a reliable ally and they've been that way for a very, very long time. And I truly believe that they'll continue to be a reliable ally going forward."

    Austin also downplayed the immediate importance of tanks, noting that Stryker combat vehicles and Bradley armoured vehicles being sent for the first time would give Ukraine new capabilities in the war. "This isn't really about one single platform," he said.

    Meanwhile, a Kremlin spokesman said the deployment of Western tanks would trigger "unambiguously negative" consequences.

    "All these tanks will require both maintenance and repairs, and so on, so (sending them) will add to Ukraine's problems, but will not change anything with regard to the Russian side achieving its goals," Dmitry Peskov said during a media briefing Friday.

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2023.

    -- with files from The Associated Press.

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    BREAKING

    BREAKING Liam Payne died from fall injuries, Argentina autopsy finds

    Former One Direction musician Liam Payne died due to multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding caused by a fall, an Argentine prosecutors' office said on Thursday, revealing the first official results of the singer's autopsy.

    An Ontario woman is feeling uneasy after she received a sextortion email demanding she pay the fraudster US$1,900 in Bitcoin or risk having compromising photographs of herself shared with her loved ones.

    Edmonton police are asking the public for CCTV footage as they investigate two fires that appear to have been deliberately set as part of an extortion scheme.

    NEW

    NEW

    An anti-Israel and profane message on a digital billboard in Moncton, N.B., has been turned off, but the question of how it got there in the first place remains.

    Mitzi Gaynor, star of 'South Pacific,' dies at 93

    Mitzi Gaynor, the effervescent dancer and actor who starred as Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film of 'South Pacific' and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, has died. She was 93.

    Canada

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.

    A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks – awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.

    An Ottawa man was arrested after taking a shower in a stranger's house, Ottawa police say.

    Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.

    The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.

    Sometimes love is written in the stars, but for one couple, it’s written in the aurora borealis.

    Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the 'proudest accomplishment' of his entire life.

    James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.

    This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.

    • Voters along the south coast of British Columbia who have not cast their ballots yet will have to contend with heavy rain and high winds from an incoming atmospheric river weather system on election day.

    • Police were called to a frozen yogurt shop in Richmond, B.C., Wednesday after a man went behind the counter and scooped some of the product with his hand.

    • British Columbia voters face no shortage of policies when it comes to tackling the province's housing woes in the run-up to Saturday's election, with a clear choice for the next government's approach.

    • The province wants to create an 'accelerated environmental assessment process' for Highway 413 as part of proposed legislation aimed at speeding up construction on priority highway projects in Ontario.

    • An Ontario motorcyclist is facing more than three dozen charges after police say he filmed “alarming” videos of himself speeding on highways in the Greater Toronto Area, reaching speeds of over 250km/h.

    • After more than seven years of construction, a new cancer centre in Calgary will be opened to patients and researchers.

    • Police are investigating after the body of a student was found in a residence at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary.

    • Calgary police are looking for suspects after a resident was injured during a break-in on Wednesday afternoon.

    • The Ottawa Police Service is asking the public for help in identifying three suspects involved in an alleged theft and multiple fraud incidents that happened last month in the city's west end.

    • We will learn more details today about a new pilot program set to launch in Ottawa that will provide residents with free reusable containers from local grocery stores and restaurants.

    • Environment Canada's senior weather climatologist says Ottawa will see "more of a winter than last year," as it experiences a possible La Nina weather event this year

    • Police are investigating after two bodies were discovered in a vehicle in the Saint-Leonard borough.

    • Some 5,000 employees with the SAQ are striking on Thursday to denounce their employer's wage proposal during ongoing negotiations.

    • The City of Montreal official opposition, Ensemble Montreal, is joining forces with some local sports clubs and associations to demand that free parking be reinstated at the Claude Robillard Sports Complex in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough.

    • Edmonton police are asking the public for CCTV footage as they investigate two fires that appear to have been deliberately set as part of an extortion scheme.

    • The Edmonton Police Service is looking for a man they describe as armed and dangerous in connection with a suspicious death.

    • One person is dead after a two-vehicle crash north of Fairview, Alta. on Wednesday.

    • NEW

      NEW

      An anti-Israel and profane message on a digital billboard in Moncton, N.B., has been turned off, but the question of how it got there in the first place remains.

    • The Nova Scotia government is adding new specialized staff to schools to help prevent and address violence.

    • The Nova Scotia registry for people seeking a primary care provider is at its lowest since 2022, but there are still tens of thousands of people waiting for a connection.

    • Desiree Scott, a hard-nosed defensive midfielder who won 187 caps for Canada, has announced her retirement at the end of the National Women's Soccer League season.

    • After a lengthy review, Manitoba's NDP government has halted a plan hatched by the former Progressive Conservative government to build new schools in partnership with the private sector.

    • The sole debate for the 2024 provincial election has wrapped – with both sides satisfied that they've successfully made their respective cases on the debate stage.

    • Following the debate between Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe and NDP Leader Carla Beck, two local experts gave their insights on the event.

    • The U17 Saskatoon Alliance won their provincial soccer league title, earning them a spot at nationals. But just to survive nationals is a grueling experience.

    • One person has been taken to hospital with life-altering injuries after a serious crash near Cambridge.

    • The woman who was fatally shot at a Stratford home on Tuesday has been identified, as well as the man accused of pulling the trigger.

    • A Guelph woman has been charged with impaired driving after a crash on Wednesday took out a hydro pole and caused a major road closure.

    • The U17 Saskatoon Alliance won their provincial soccer league title, earning them a spot at nationals. But just to survive nationals is a grueling experience.

    • The sole debate for the 2024 provincial election has wrapped – with both sides satisfied that they've successfully made their respective cases on the debate stage.

    • Election season is in full swing in Saskatchewan, and for many young voters, this will be their introduction to the Canadian democratic process.

    • Sudbury police say a body was discovered on the side of the road in the city's Falconbridge community early Thursday morning.

    • Two people in distress were rescued from Whitewater Lake on Monday afternoon.

    • OPP have closed a section of road in Middlesex County following a crash.

    • An officer was given the replica weapon at a south-side school. Police are sharing concern for this type of thing, saying it could easily be mistaken for a real firearm.

    • The city has released final numbers for its vehicle-for-hire safety blitz. According to the city, 80 drivers for Uber and Lyft were randomly selected last week, but only 47 attended an inspection.

    • Provincial police are investigating the alleged theft of a classic car from an address in the Town of Mono.

    • Gordon Locking, 66, was found guilty in a Barrie courtroom Wednesday to several weapons charges, including possession of an explosive substance, stemming from an incident at a supportive housing complex.

    • A woman from Scarborough is facing charges and will have to find an alternate method of travel after police say she was clocked speeding nearly 90 km/h over the limit in Innisfil.

    • The only details available are that it's taking place in the 1500 block of Monticello Ave. near Firgrove Drive in the east Riverside area.

    • Ontario farmers are logging extra hours, as they work into the night during the fall grain harvest.

    • Good news for east-west commuters in Windsor-Essex.

    • Voters along the south coast of British Columbia who have not cast their ballots yet will have to contend with heavy rain and high winds from an incoming atmospheric river weather system on election day.

    • British Columbia voters face no shortage of policies when it comes to tackling the province's housing woes in the run-up to Saturday's election, with a clear choice for the next government's approach.

    • Mounties have released startling new details about their investigation into the disappearance of Amber Manthorne, who was reported missing on Vancouver Island more than two years ago, and is believed to have met with foul play.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • With the growing season wrapping up for many, southern Alberta's sweetest crop is in full swing.

    • Health-care advocates say the province's plan for a new primary care agency, operating separately from Alberta Health Services, won't help with doctor shortages in Lethbridge.

    • The Vancouver Giants scored late to force overtime before winning 4-3 over the Lethbridge Hurricanes Friday night.

    • The Ontario Medical Association, which represents the province's 43,000 physicians, medical students and retired physicians, launched their Stop the Crisis initiative Wednesday.

    • An effort to bring a deep-sea port to Sault Ste. Marie just got a major push forward, with support from the federal government Wednesday.

    • Some of the world’s best curlers have arrived in Sault Ste. Marie for the second annual Soo Fall Classic that many curlers say has become a can’t miss event.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow ۴ý