Moscow has again summoned Canada’s top diplomat to Russia, this time over the government’s seizure of a massive Russian cargo plane in Toronto.
Russia claims it summoned Canadian Chargé d’Affaires Brian Ebel to tell him that Ottawa’s plans risked “the most serious repercussions”.
Two days ago, Moscow warned that relations with Canada were “on the verge of being severed” because of the Russian cargo plane affair.
And three months ago, the Kremlin summoned the same Canadian diplomat over comments made by Foreign Minister Melanie Joly about possible regime change in Russia.
On a surprise visit to Kiev, Ukraine, late last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada had officially seized the cargo plane that has been grounded on the tarmac at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport since its inception. of the Russian invasion, in February 2022. Ottawa is actually preparing to transfer the plane, or its value, to the Ukrainian government.
In a statement in English released on Thursday, Moscow said the move “amounts to an outright attempted theft” and that the plane was “disgracefully seized”.
A year ago, Canada became the first G7 country to enact legislation that allows Ottawa not only to seize assets held by sanctioned individuals, but also to confiscate those assets and divert their proceeds to victims of a sanctions regime.
That law has never been used, but Trudeau said Ottawa plans to begin the process of confiscating the massive Antonov AN-124, from Russian airline Volga-Dnepr, and using the plane to support Ukraine.
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