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Later Monday, in a speech to diplomats and defence experts at the Canadian War Museum, he warned that the redrawing of borders by force in Europe is no longer a thing of the past and the international community needs “to be better prepared for the next crisis, when it comes.”

Breedlove said NATO needs to ask itself some tough questions and among them is whether its forces are “positioned correctly.” New members, such as Poland, have called for the basing of western troops on their soil as a deterrent.

At the same time, the narrative in Russia is that it’s adversaries are surrounding it, a fear that could be exacerbated as NATO flexes it muscles in a series measures and manoeuvres intended to reassure nervous Eastern European allies.

“What we have to do is build forces that reassure our allies, but are not necessarily provocative to the Russians,” said Breedlove, a former F-16 fighter pilot.

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Earlier in the day, Breedlove met briefly with Harper, Defence Minister Rob Nicholson and Canada’s military commander, Gen. Tom Lawson.

The meetings were held against a backdrop of escalating violence in Ukraine, where the country’s elite troops have been dispatched to quell unrest in the key southern port city of Odessa.

Riots in Odessa led to 46 deaths Friday when a government building was set on fire. Carney says Ukrainian authorities should launch a full investigation. He says the U.S. mourns with Ukrainians the heartbreaking loss of life.