Russia's invasion of Ukraine a 'turning point' in world history: defence chief

Canada's chief of defence says Russia's invasion of Ukraine is going to change the course of history.

Canada’s chief of defence says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is going to change the course of history.

In an interview with CTV Question Period host Evan Solomon, the Canadian Armed Forces’ Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre called the invasion “a long-term threat.”

“I would say on Feb. 24, the world changed and what we're facing now, history may view as a turning point,” he said. “But it's going to be a world that is characterized by confrontation – confrontation between authoritarian states on one part and liberal democracies on the next.”

Despite Russia’s brutal efforts, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has run an effective communications campaign, speaking to world leaders, celebrities, and even Canadian university students to garner support for his cause.

But with Putin meeting with leaders from China, Brazil, and India, Eyre said the world is likely going to become further entrenched into two camps.

“Russia has been humiliated, given Ukrainian successes, [but] their memory is going to be long,” Eyre said. “And so this is going to be with us for some time, and we've got to maintain our resolve as the West as a group of like-minded, friendly nations who share common values.”

Looming over the division between these authoritarian states and liberal democracies, Eyre said, is the threat of the nuclear option.