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'We live here' Latvia's defence chief on the threat of neighbour Russia · DEEP INSIGHT

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Canada's largest military overseas deployment is being extended until twenty
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: thirty one. Operation Reassurance in Latvia is in place to
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  Speaker 1: deter Russian aggression in the Baltic region. Prime Minister Mark
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Carney announced the extension on the margins of the NATO
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: summit in Turkey. News that comes as Russia's war on
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  Speaker 1: Ukraine is well into its fifth year. So what is
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  Speaker 1: the future of Canada's presence in Latvia beyond twenty thirty one?
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  Speaker 1: Kaspars Putin is Latvia's Chief of Defense. Thank you very
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  Speaker 1: much for joining us today, Sir, I want to start
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  Speaker 1: with Canada and Latvia obviously have a very deep military connection,
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  Speaker 1: but we're keen to learn what exactly brings you to
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  Speaker 1: Canada in this moment.
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  Speaker 2: Well, thank you for having me here. And yes, indeed,
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  Speaker 2: over particular laws decayed our relations under the auspices of NATO,
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  Speaker 2: but bilateral relations along with US being incredible, Canada is
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  Speaker 2: stepped up in twenty fourteen twenty sixteen, particularly in supporting
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  Speaker 2: US in defending the tearing threads on Eastern Flag. We
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  Speaker 2: all know what's happened in Ukraine and what's even escalated
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  Speaker 2: further on in twenty twenty two in Ukraine. That's demonstrated
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  Speaker 2: and been on a right spot on the right time.
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  Speaker 2: I would say, definitely, this is my purpose of visit.
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  Speaker 2: Coming here already, I would say quite regularly to our friends,
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  Speaker 2: meeting our friends, sharing our appreciation of situation back her
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  Speaker 2: is of course, as Canadian soldiers are now deployed to
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  Speaker 2: the Baltic States, to Latvia, particularly as to strengthening the
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  Speaker 2: terrans defense of NATO's eastern frontline, and being here it's
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  Speaker 2: something gives me opportunity providing some maybe advice or guidance
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  Speaker 2: on what to expect during the next rotation forces, to
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  Speaker 2: discuss with your leadership any adaptations, any changes as we
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  Speaker 2: see it's very constant. Adaptation is needed to be much
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  Speaker 2: more credible in a nowadays. So sharing the knowledge, sharing
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  Speaker 2: this situation, appreciation what we could do better, appreciating what
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  Speaker 2: has been done. And it's always with a great well
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  Speaker 2: pleasure but also great admiration what I'm coming here, admiring
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  Speaker 2: all what's Canada been doing, and really sharing my great
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  Speaker 2: appreciation to soldiers, to members of Canadian Armed forces, but
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  Speaker 2: I think particularly also to their families. They are the
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  Speaker 2: ones who also here on frontline, staying in Canada. Well,
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  Speaker 2: while there are fathers, sons, husbands and supposes in Latvia.
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  Speaker 1: We understand the discussions are underway with NATO that could
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  Speaker 1: possibly see the Canadian battle group in Latvia deployed for
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  Speaker 1: six months of the year and then another nation filling
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  Speaker 1: in for another six months of the year. What can
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  Speaker 1: you tell us about that? Is that your understanding?
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  Speaker 2: Now Kennedy's persistently with their troops. It started with the battlegroup,
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  Speaker 2: so battalion size a couple hundreds of soldiers already close
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  Speaker 2: to de decadd goal multinational one under the Canadian leadership,
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  Speaker 2: integrating almost third of NATO nations, giving the opportunity to
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  Speaker 2: everyone share this responsibility of providing security in our region
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  Speaker 2: in overall NATO Eastern Flank. And now it's grown even
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  Speaker 2: to the brigade size. Couple last years we already had
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  Speaker 2: very good leadership, great brigade commanders coming over, pulling up
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  Speaker 2: more force along with them with Canadian Battlegroup, but also
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  Speaker 2: leading some other nation battlegroups who are on rotational base. Yes,
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  Speaker 2: other are coming problem rotational base, but Canadian troops being
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  Speaker 2: always persistently there and now the renewal of a mandate
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  Speaker 2: of operation reassurance to twenty thirty one for next five
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  Speaker 2: years just demonstrates for their commitment, really credible commitment into
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  Speaker 2: the region.
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  Speaker 1: But you're not aware of any conversations with NATO about
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  Speaker 1: a situation.
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  Speaker 2: Like that, No, we are speaking. I think NATO also
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  Speaker 2: is happy for more present for more let's say, persistent force,
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  Speaker 2: because it's very important that forces are regularly tied to
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  Speaker 2: particular plants. So because we could be only credible not
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  Speaker 2: only through the capabilities we can demonstrate soldiers' planes, ships,
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  Speaker 2: but this credibility should be done through the plants, real
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  Speaker 2: defense plants which very very evaluated over let's say, evolved
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  Speaker 2: during the last last decade, become incredible credible ones. But
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  Speaker 2: then through the rehearsal of these plants with really assigned
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  Speaker 2: and aligned forces, and Canada with Canadian led brigade and
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  Speaker 2: now also stepping up and becoming the third framework Nations
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  Speaker 2: of multinational Division, which we are forming as LATVI with
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  Speaker 2: Denmark together, just demonstrates rare commitment to the region.
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  Speaker 1: How confident are you that Canada will have a continued
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  Speaker 1: presence in Latvia beyond twenty thirty one?
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  Speaker 2: I'm quite sure from military leadership seeing how it's benefits
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  Speaker 2: not only us. So it's not only for our society,
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  Speaker 2: which is very much valued the presence of our allies
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  Speaker 2: led by Canada with the biggest troop presence in Latin,
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  Speaker 2: but I think it's very much to be understood that
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  Speaker 2: it also gives quite an advantage for the Canadian armed forces,
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  Speaker 2: for the society learning also from us from what we
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  Speaker 2: see on our daily lives. For example, for armed forces,
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  Speaker 2: it's multinational environment. I think, as I said, no one
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  Speaker 2: else has so big multin nationality, and I think it's
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  Speaker 2: starting from individual soldier to unit. Information leaders gives a
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  Speaker 2: new touch on this how to solve the problems of integration,
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  Speaker 2: which being done greatly and tremendously, but also to learn
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  Speaker 2: new technologies. We of course quite close to current frontline
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  Speaker 2: in Ukraine and all the lessons learning we learning learning.
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  Speaker 2: It's quite good opportunity to integrate and sharing these opportunities.
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  Speaker 2: It's been our goal not only having Canadian forces or
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  Speaker 2: we're integrating them into our plans like reassuring our society,
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  Speaker 2: but providing opportunity to train your soldiers in new environment,
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  Speaker 2: in different environment, maybe with different capabilities which are future
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  Speaker 2: capabilities of Canadian armed forces and in one short segment
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  Speaker 2: actually just to make it that your soldiers coming back
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  Speaker 2: are coming back even better soldiers for defense of your
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  Speaker 2: homeland if needed here. But at the same time I
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  Speaker 2: would love to say that also we all alliance and
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  Speaker 2: a NATO and defense of any of our homeland. While
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  Speaker 2: of course every armed forces primary responsibility is to our
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  Speaker 2: population armed force to Canadian population, mind to Latteran population,
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  Speaker 2: but we can defend threats all toogether thirty of us,
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  Speaker 2: all NATO's everywhere it's needed upfront in the front line.
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  Speaker 2: Unfortunately for us, if you look at the Latvia, we
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  Speaker 2: are on the edge of NATO.
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  Speaker 1: I want to ask you about that, about what you
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  Speaker 1: are seeing in terms of are you learning anything new
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  Speaker 1: given how you are on the front edge of that?
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  Speaker 1: What should Canadians know about how the Russians sort of
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  Speaker 1: are are threatening NATO in this moment. Of course, we're
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  Speaker 1: watching very closely what's been going on with the war
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  Speaker 1: in Ukraine. But what is it that you have seen
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  Speaker 1: or you have learned based on how Russia is operating
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  Speaker 1: right now or has been operating.
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  Speaker 2: Just to conclude with an edge for us. For everyone
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  Speaker 2: it's a NATO edge Eastern frontline. For us, it's not edge.
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  Speaker 2: We live there. So that's why we are very appreciate
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  Speaker 2: that we can forward defense as much as possible with
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  Speaker 2: our allies. For us alone, we've been in a history.
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  Speaker 2: We know how it's to be and how it would end,
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  Speaker 2: and for us unfortunately ended with occupation for almost fifty years.
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  Speaker 2: Once we've been only alone, not united. We didn't have
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  Speaker 2: any friends in nineteen forties where too, who could stand
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  Speaker 2: up with us for our independence? And now that's why
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  Speaker 2: it's very important while we understand that Ukrainians probably is
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  Speaker 2: taking the pain now and for all of us and
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  Speaker 2: guarding and fighting for the values and for the time
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  Speaker 2: for us mainly of course for the conventional threat, but
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  Speaker 2: Russia could pose. We're learning from Ukraine at the same
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  Speaker 2: time we're learning that current immediate conventional threat is not
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  Speaker 2: possible for us. All their troops, all their sources are
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  Speaker 2: very tight and tied to Ukraine. But at the same time,
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  Speaker 2: of course, is unsuccessful achievement of these goals fifty year
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  Speaker 2: already or they're stuck wherever they planned, maybe for a
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  Speaker 2: couple of days, a couple of weeks, of course, puts
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  Speaker 2: a big pressure on Kremlin on doing some show isolating
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  Speaker 2: Ukraine from external support we as an ATO providing to them.
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  Speaker 2: Probably it's not about only our governments, our societies who
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  Speaker 2: would be targeted to probably isolating from supporting Ukraine, because
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  Speaker 2: in our case, if you look at back in that way,
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  Speaker 2: it's not only governments. All support military support. Even bigger
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  Speaker 2: is societal support. Everyone donates money, materials, so it's very
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  Speaker 2: big support Ukraine. We are very close, and that's quite
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  Speaker 2: natural and this is something we understand, and that's why
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  Speaker 2: it's a bit of threat that Russia might seek to
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  Speaker 2: either for revenge or just some destabilization activities through the
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  Speaker 2: provocation of destabilization activities like sabotage events which is quite
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  Speaker 2: simple to recruit to organize through the communication networks, but
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  Speaker 2: are present now. So even not putting a big resources
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  Speaker 2: into this and there will be in their interest of course,
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  Speaker 2: and unfortunately it could in our environment in Latvia could
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  Speaker 2: be a present danger of such provoccasions. We don't assume
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  Speaker 2: that this could be targeted to any allies because definitely
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  Speaker 2: NATO is much more powerful if we regard Russia, and
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  Speaker 2: they would be very irrational to step up directly against NATO.
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  Speaker 2: But intent, of course would be all these actions would
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  Speaker 2: be directed first of all nationally to undermine our government,
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  Speaker 2: our armed forces, to split us away from our societal support.
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  Speaker 2: But second effect they would try to achieve is to
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  Speaker 2: divide US multinationally, so US multinational environment NATO that we
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  Speaker 2: are not very much united, and I think this is
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  Speaker 2: not very expensive capability. Our visions, our unity which we
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  Speaker 2: can build all together, and Canada is part of this,
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  Speaker 2: demonstrating that we are united leaders leading this troop of
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  Speaker 2: United Allied multinational force and at the military, and I
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  Speaker 2: think we can do it even more in all domain
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  Speaker 2: political economicals, that we are united strong force, much more
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  Speaker 2: advantages on our side against Russia, detearing them from even
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  Speaker 2: from these sabotage activities.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, well, we're going to leave the conversation there. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you very much for your time today. Kasparpudins that Latvia's
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  Speaker 1: chief of Defense staff, Thank you very much.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you,