Trudeau, NATO partners stage theatrical rebuke of Russia at military base in Latvia

Justin Trudeau joined NATO allies Tuesday in staging a theatrical rebuke of Russia's war on Ukraine from a heavily armoured war-games field and in a floodlit news conference from one of the alliance's eastern European bases.

The prime minister promised Baltic leaders on a whirlwind trip to Latvia that Canada will stand with them to fight Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and its cyberattacks on their countries.

Trudeau and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made clear that NATO's purpose is defensive, but that the core NATO agreement -- that an attack on one member is an attack on them all -- is very much in play.

"We are here to protect every inch of allied territory, of Latvia and all other NATO countries," Stoltenberg said at a joint news conference on the Adazi military base northeast of Riga, Latvia.

The Norwegian politician's voice thundered over a loudspeaker at a joint news conference with Trudeau and Defence Minister Anita Anand, along with the prime ministers of Spain and Latvia, Pedro Sanchez and Krisjanis Karins The event was held outdoors in near-freezing temperatures as a steady snowfall dusted the politicians on their podiums, positioned in the foreground of more than a dozen tanks, heavy armour and other imposing military vehicles.