Canada, again in Trump's sights. The US president complains to his advisers about the country's vulnerability to Russia and China in the Arctic
US President Donald Trump has taken an increasingly critical tone toward Canada in private conversations with his advisers about what he calls Canada's vulnerability to America's Arctic adversaries, NBC News reported, citing former and current officials.
As Trump's advisers work to realize his administration's goal of acquiring Greenland, the US president is increasingly concerned that he believes Canada will not be able to adequately defend its borders in the face of a potential threat from China or Russia, arguing that Ottawa should spend more on defence, officials said.
They said Trump's grievances had accelerated domestic talks about a broader Arctic strategy and a possible deal with Canada this year on strengthening the northern border.
“Trump is very concerned about the continued drift of the US in the Western Hemisphere and is focused on this aspect”said one of the officials.
Current US officials have emphasized that there is no discussion about deploying US troops to Canada's northern border. And unlike in the case of Greenland, Trump is not talking about acquiring Canada or using military force, sources told NBC News.
The renewed private focus on Canada, whose relations with the US have been extremely strained, comes as Trump partly turns his long-standing criticism of America's neighbors in the Western Hemisphere into actions aimed at expanding US influence in the region.
Protecting Canada's northern border is a key element of Trump and his top advisers' vision of “consolidating” the Western Hemisphere, one US official said.
“Ultimately, the goal is to prevent Russia and China from having an additional presence in the Arctic,” the senior administration official said. “Canada could benefit from US presence in Greenland.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that Canada supports Denmark as a NATO ally.
Asked behind closed doors about the new focus on Canada, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said an executive order signed by Trump last April “highlights the United States' commitment to both freedom of navigation and American dominance of Arctic waterways.”
Trump has threatened to use “economic force” to take over the country and turn it from America's northern neighbor into the 51st state. He also sparked a trade war with Canada and sparred publicly with that country's government before tensions eased in recent months.
Talks about strengthening defenses
Privately, amid growing discontent with Trump, US officials have begun holding talks with Canadian officials about ways to increase cooperation between the two countries' militaries in the Arctic, the sources said.
Options discussed include upgrading Canada's early warning systems, joint military training and operations, increasing the number of joint air and maritime patrols, as well as U.S. ship patrols in the Arctic, current U.S. officials said.
One of Trump's main criticisms of Canada concerns defense spending, a topic he has repeatedly addressed in private in recent days, according to the sources cited.
“They definitely need to improve their Arctic capabilities,” stated one of the officials, adding that “this is not acceptable given the current threats” and that “the status quo is not enough“.
Canada is increasing its defense spending, but still falls short of the target set by NATO members.
“The world doesn't see Canada as a major force when it comes to defence”the senior administration official said.
Trump has expressed interest in purchasing more icebreakers to conduct more maritime patrols there, an investment that could be among U.S. spending on Arctic security in next year's defense budget, current and former U.S. officials said.
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