Trudeau headed to Washington for NATO summit. What to expect

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to arrive in Washington, D.C., on Monday to mark the 75th anniversary of the NATO military alliance.

The perilous state of war-ravaged Ukraine and the precarious position of United States President Joe Biden will both colour the leaders’ summit, which is set to formally begin Tuesday.

The upcoming U.S. election and the possibility of a second Donald Trump administration has some NATO countries concerned that the alliance’s staunchest critic will once again control its mightiest military.

Trump has repeatedly claimed he would not defend NATO members that don’t meet defence spending targets, which includes Canada.

Trudeau hopes to bolster support for sending military aid to Ukraine as doubts about continuing the fight grow in the United States and Europe.

Defence Minister Bill Blair is expected to speak about Canada’s Arctic defence at the Foreign Policy Security Forum in Washington later today before joining Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly at the NATO leaders’ summit later in the week.