FOG BLOG CANADA NEWS LOG: PM JUSTIN TRUDEAU TO MEET WITH LATVIA LEADERS AND NATO CHIEF:

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

"This demonstrates, really, NATO solidarity," Stoltenberg said, in case anyone missed the point.

"The purpose of that deterrence is not to provoke a war but to prevent a war. It is to preserve peace."

Trudeau said Russian President Vladimir Putin made a mistake thinking Ukraine and NATO were weak and divided.

"He's been shown how wrong he is," Trudeau said. "Ukrainians are strong and courageous and standing up to defend their land. And NATO has never been more united and determined than we are now. I know I can speak for all NATO members when I say we will all abide by Article Five."

Sanchez, echoing earlier remarks by Anand, tore a page from the Canadian feminist foreign policy play book and paid tribute to International Women's Day.

"Eight March should have been a day of celebration of women and girls in Ukraine," Sanchez said, adding that Putin's "brutal aggression is forcing them to flee their country or fight for their lives."