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In a sharply worded statement, however, the Russian embassy in Ottawa said the NATO force risks distracting from “the real existential threat” facing Canada and Russia: ISIL and terrorism.

“We believe that NATO build-up on Russia’s doorstep, which is reminiscent of Cold War sabre-rattling, is a complete waste of money and resources, diverting them from the real existential threat of international terrorism,” it says.

“Given that terrorists make no distinction between Russians and Canadians, as well as reports claiming 151 nationals of Canada are on an ISIS ‘kill list,’ common sense and pragmatism dictate the need to join efforts, as opposed to reincarnation of Cold War containment.”

Russia and the West have been in a tense standoff since March 2014, when the Kremlin ordered the annexation of Crimea and began supporting separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. However, the threat posed by ISIL has forced Western governments to co-operate with Russia in Syria.

Some have also been critical of NATO’s military activities in eastern Europe. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier accused the alliance last week of “warmongering” against Russia by holding the largest military exercise in Poland and the Baltics since the Cold War.

“Anyone who thinks a symbolic tank parade on the alliance’s eastern border will bring security is wrong,” he told Bild am Sonntang newspaper. “We would be well advised not to provide a pretext to renew an old confrontation.”