Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised Baltic leaders Tuesday that Canada will stand with them to fight the Kremlinsa国际传媒檚 war on Ukraine and its cyberattacks on their countries.

Trudeau is in Latvia where he met privately with Prime Minister Kri拧j膩nis Kari艈拧, followed by an expanded session via teleconference with leaders from Estonia and Lithuania.

sa国际传媒淵ou are literally on the front lines of this challenge with Russia,sa国际传媒� he said.

Russiasa国际传媒檚 invasion of Ukraine is now in its 13th day. Trudeau said Russia has sa国际传媒渨eaponizedsa国际传媒� misinformation not only against Ukraine but in all sa国际传媒渄emocracies around the West.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淨uite frankly, you have been living not just with the military threat, not just with the history of occupation sa国际传媒� but also, the daily use of propaganda and disinformation to try and undermine the democracy and the values you have,sa国际传媒� Trudeau said.

He later visited the 膧da啪i Military Base with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. The base, northeast of Riga, is where NATO troops are stationed in a mission led by several hundred Canadians.

They were joined by Defence Minister Anita Anand, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S谩nchez, and Canadian defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre for a tour of a massive battlefield scattered with a dozen heavy tanks and artillery pieces.

They met Canadian troops and their allies that had been war gaming live combat exercises for the last eight days.

sa国际传媒淚t shows the unity of the world standing together,sa国际传媒� Trudeau told a group of Canadian troops, clad in combat fatigues and green face paint.

sa国际传媒淗aving a whole bunch of flags beside each other in the fieldsa国际传媒� is a challenge, he added, but he praised the soldiers for setting an example for the world by working so well with their allies.

Navigating dirt that was a times ankle deep, the entourage visited with soldiers from the 10 NATO countries that are stationed here.

sa国际传媒淭hey see renewed purpose. Itsa国际传媒檚 the front line of freedom,sa国际传媒� Eyre said.

Trudeau asked questions of a Latvian commander from a hilltop bunker that overlooked the massive plain of rutted dirt.

Canada leads the NATO battle group in Latvia, which is part of NATOsa国际传媒檚 long-standing deterrence efforts against Russia sa国际传媒� a mission that taken on new significance in light of the Russian invasion.

It is one of four such efforts in the Baltics and Poland, designed to demonstrate the strength of the NATO alliance in the region against Russia.

Putin takes great offence at the NATO buildup on his countrysa国际传媒檚 borders. He has opposed NATOsa国际传媒檚 expansion into countries that were once in the sphere of the former Soviet Union.

Ukraine is not a NATO member but was seeking membership in the 30-country transatlantic alliance as well as closer ties with the European Union. Russia annexed Ukrainesa国际传媒檚 Crimean Peninsula in 2014 after the overthrow of the Kremlin-backed administration in Kyiv.

That marked the most significant breach of Europesa国际传媒檚 borders since the Second World War sa国际传媒� a milestone now eclipsed by Russiasa国际传媒檚 invasion of Ukraine.

Trudeau said the ongoing show of unity among NATO allies and other democracies to back Ukraine is a critical part of bringing the crisis to a close.

Kari艈拧 told Trudeau the Russian invasion did not succeed in sa国际传媒渄riving a wedge between Europe and North America, driving a wedge between NATO partners.sa国际传媒� Instead, he said, sa国际传媒渢he exact oppositesa国际传媒� happened and there has been a sa国际传媒渃oming together of minds.sa国际传媒�

Trudeau told the Baltic leaders that Canada has the third largest population of Ukrainians in the world after Ukraine and Russia, sa国际传媒渟o we are deeply, deeply troubled and engaged by this conflict in Ukraine.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淲e are demonstrating that, unlike what Putin thinks or mistakenly thought, democracies can and will defend not just themselves and their territory, but the principles and rules and the values that actually make us successful,sa国际传媒� Trudeau said.

His arrival in Riga came after a daylong visit to the United Kingdom for meetings with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. He is also to visit Poland and Germany later this week.

sa国际传媒擬ike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press