Canada Has Refused To Establish A "sanitary Cordon" For Russia On NATO's Eastern Flank

• 14.11.2026, 13:13

Prime Minister Mark Carney cited historical precedent.

Canada will not establish a so-called “sanitary cordon” for Russia on NATO’s eastern flank.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made this statement during a conversation with journalists, according to a post by Clash Report on its social media account X.

Carney emphasized that Canada, as a NATO member, will never, under any circumstances, stop defending other Alliance nations. As an example, he cited Latvia, where 2,500 Canadian service members are serving as part of a NATO Multinational Brigade (the brigade has a total of 3,500 personnel—Ed.).

“We have no intention of creating a cordon sanitaire for Russia. You know what that led to in the past,” Carney said.

The Canadian prime minister’s statement on Latvia and a “cordon sanitaire” for Russia came shortly after the conclusion of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi involving the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia, during which the Russian delegation, according to media reports, asserted the need to “narrow” NATO’s borders.

According to The New York Times, Russia secretly informed the parties involved that before Putin would agree to end the war against Ukraine, the “root causes of the conflict”—that is, all claims against NATO—must be resolved. The Kremlin’s main demand of NATO is that the Alliance return to its 1997 borders.