Canada will soon impose new sanctions on Russia in hopes of increasing pressure on the regime, which continues to pound Ukraine relentlessly.
“There will be other economic sanctions against individuals, against companies, and certainly, we will continue to isolate Russia economically,” Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said in a press scrum on Monday morning. outcome of a conference delivered before the Montreal Council on International Relations. She clarified that these sanctions would be known “soon”.
According to her, the intensification of the pressure is absolutely necessary in a context where the risks have become enormous for the Western world. “Vladimir Putin is unpredictable. […] This is why we must use all the means at our disposal to put this pressure against him and against his regime. […]. The Ukrainians absolutely must win. This is an existential question for the Western world. »
The minister said she was aware of the implications of the multiplication of sanctions for the Russian population and took the opportunity to salute the courage of those who dare to demonstrate their opposition to this war. Mme Joly also argued that “global geopolitics has changed” since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, and that we are all “waking up to the impacts.”
The response of the international community will, she says, have major implications for the future. “When we accept that one country invades another, it is a significant threat for all countries in the world,” she explained, since a lack of consequences could encourage others to do the same. , like China with Taiwan. “It is important that China plays its role in the Security Council” of the UN, she added.
One of these repercussions of the conflict in Ukraine is also the reassessment, by Western countries, of their military investments. its defense budget to 2% of its entire budget. We must take note of it. Several NATO countries are making decisions that are similar. » Mme Joly declined to speculate on the value of the Canadian government’s upcoming investments, stressing that those decisions are up to her finance colleague, Chrystia Freeland.
Furthermore, M.me Joly was sensitive to the difficulties faced by Ukrainian refugees who want to come to Canada. She claims to have added resources and asked her consular corps to ensure “that there are extended hours” and “that the services are impeccable”.
The directives calling for intensive action obviously affect the Canadian embassies in Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. The other embassies located in Europe, notably in Paris, London and Rome, have been mandated to support those of the countries bordering Ukraine, where the refugees are flocking. The case of Moldova is also a source of concern. The small country of 2.7 million inhabitants has hosted no less than 300,000 refugees. “It is certain that we must come to the aid of Moldova”, affirmed Mr.me Pretty.
The country’s military vulnerability is also a source of concern. Unlike other countries bordering Ukraine, which are members of NATO, Moldova is not a member of the Western military alliance.