Canada sends two warships to Baltic Sea to bolster security

By
AFP
The guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) transits the Pacific Ocean while participating in Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), July 10, 2018. Photo taken July 10, 2018. U.S.—Reuters
The guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) transits the Pacific Ocean while participating in Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), July 10, 2018. Photo taken July 10, 2018. U.S.—Reuters 

OTTAWA: Canada on Sunday deployed two warships to the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic, joining a pair of frigates already in the region, to reinforce Nato's eastern flank in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Her Majesty's Canadian Ships (HMCS) Kingston and Summerside set sail for a four-month deployment as part of "deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe" launched in 2014 after Moscow annexed Crimea, the Canadian navy said in a statement.

Through October, the ships will participate in naval mine sweeping exercises and maintain a "high readiness" allowing them to "quickly and effectively respond in support of any Nato operations," it added.