OTTAWA—Defence Minister Anita Anand says the government believes in the importance of bolstering NATO’s eastern flank in response to Russia’s military buildup, and that discussions are underway around increasing Canada’s military presence in eastern Europe. Yet the minister, who was speaking on Wednesday from the Latvian capital of Riga—her last stop in a three-country tour that included visits to Ukraine and NATO headquarters in Brussels—declined to say when a Canadian decision could come. “At the current time, we are considering options to reinforce in eastern Europe,” Anand told The Canadian Press, adding: “We are working with our allies and co-ordinating across the alliance.” Anand’s comments followed a meeting with Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš, just as the United States became the latest NATO member to commit additional forces to the region in response to fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said 2,000 additional American …