Almost a year after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Canadian population still seems to be strongly mobilized to come to the aid of the Ukrainians, including by massively supporting the sending of money and military armament, in a much higher proportion than in other countries of the world, including the United States. This is indicated by an international survey conducted in recent days by the firm Ipsos among 19,000 people in 28 countries and whose data have just been released.
Despite the inflationary economic climate, a majority of Canadians (60%) even believe that paying more for their fuel and gas is still worth it “to defend the sovereignty of another country”, and 65% also say that this support for Ukraine must be maintained “until all Russian forces have [soient] withdrawn from the territory claimed by kyiv, indicates this sounding.
While Germany has, after months of dithering, authorized the transfer of Leopard 2 heavy tanks to Ukraine, in Canada, 60% of people polled between November 25 and December 9 supported the supply of “weapons and/or Air Defense Systems to the Ukrainian Army” by Ottawa. This is two percentage points more than in March/April 2022. On average, in the 28 countries surveyed, just 37% of respondents support this direct military assistance. In the United States, 54% support sending arms, down four points since last spring.
“The decrease is very modest in this country and it mainly reflects the opinion of a minority within the more conservative fringe which is far from representing the whole of the republican political movement, comments in an interview with the To have to political scientist Lubomyr Luciuk, a specialist on Ukraine at the Royal Military College of Canada. Americans appreciate bravery, patriotism, true courage, which the Ukrainians have demonstrated to the limit, every day, since the beginning of the conflict”, thus nurturing support in their favor in the United States and which should not weaken. , according to him.
On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden crystallized this sentiment by confirming that his country would send 31 M1 Abrams heavy tanks to Ukraine, after months of hesitation tainted by recurring claims that these tanks are too complicated to use for the Ukrainian army. The Democrat clarified that this sharing of tanks, “the most efficient in the world”, was not “an offensive threat against Russia” and was aimed at “helping Ukraine to defend and protect” its territory.
“If Russian troops returned to Russia, this war would end today. This is what we all want: an end to this war,” he said during a press conference broadcast online by the White House.
Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, but also Norway have indicated that they are also ready to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukrainian territory, while everything indicates that the Russian forces are planning a new offensive on the eastern front and could retake the capital, kyiv as a target, as spring approaches and the first anniversary of this war that the Kremlin wanted expedited, but which has above all turned into a war of attrition.
Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergei Nechayev on Wednesday accused Berlin of bringing the conflict in Ukraine to “a new level of confrontation” by authorizing the dispatch of Leopard 2s to the battlefield. The Kremlin for its part minimized the impact of this decision by qualifying the transfer of Western, German and American tanks to kyiv as a “failed plan”, said the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov.
These heavy tanks will above all be “decisive for our future victory”, summarized for his part on the Telegram network, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration Andriï Yermak. “The main thing is that this is the beginning. We need hundreds of tanks,” he added.
No Canadian Ad
On the last day of the Council of Ministers in Hamilton, Ontario, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he did not have “an announcement to make today” on the possible sending of Canadian tanks to Ukraine. Canada has 82 Leopard 2 tanks in service, according to updated data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies. By comparison, Germany, which manufactures this heavy equipment, has more than 500, including 200 dormant in warehouses.
“Canada has always been there to support Ukraine with humanitarian aid, with financial aid, but also with weapons in a significant way,” said Mr. Trudeau.
According to information from To have to, the Canadian government is reportedly considering sending “four or more Leopard 2 tanks” to Ukraine. An announcement would be expected Thursday morning on this subject.
Last week, Ottawa announced that it would provide 200 more armored vehicles to Ukraine, after saying in early January that it would buy an advanced surface-to-air missile system (NASAMS) from the United States to offer it to the Ukrainians.
“We will continue to provide military aid to Ukraine because we must see it win in this conflict that Russia has illegally instigated,” he added.
“Canada could help shape a coalition of states supporting Ukraine by sharing some of its Leopard 2 tanks and resisting Russian threats and intimidation,” comments Lubomyr Luciuk. We don’t have to fear Russia. We must even weaken this tyrant, once and for all. »
In Canada, even though 30% of the population thinks that the conflict in Ukraine “is not about us” and that Ottawa shouldn’t stick its nose in it — that’s six percentage points more than last spring, but much less than the average of the 28 countries surveyed (42%) by Ipsos — the majority of Canadians (73%) believe that “doing nothing for Ukraine” can only encourage Russia to continue its military attacks and aggressions elsewhere in Europe and Asia.
The country stands out on the world scale with a public opinion that also strongly supports the sending of NATO troops — of which Canada is a member — to neighboring countries of Ukraine. A project supported by 59% of those surveyed, compared to 48% in the United States.
Canadians also go further, with more than a third (36%) agreeing with the idea of sending troops directly to the battlefield in Ukraine, although Western allies have not yet established clear project in this direction.
This is one of the highest marks of support in the world for direct intervention in the conflict launched by Russia against Ukrainian democracy, up seven points since last spring, just behind India, to 43 %. Canada is, on this point, in tune with the Australians (36%), the British (33%) and the Swedes (32%), indicates the sounding, but in slight rupture with the United States, where 27 % of respondents support such a change of direction by Westerners.
With Marie Vastel