(Ottawa) The Conservative Party is urging the Trudeau government to follow in the footsteps of the United States and other allied countries by sending weapons to Ukraine to counter a possible invasion of its territory by Russia.
Posted at 4:57 p.m.
When parliament resumed on Monday, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole echoed the Ukrainian government’s request for military equipment from NATO member countries.
“Ukraine is one of Canada’s important friends and allies. Our Ukrainian friends face the risk of a Russian invasion on their border. Other NATO allies are providing the military assistance requested by Ukraine. We must help Ukraine to avoid the same scenario as Crimea. Why is the Liberal government not responding to Ukraine’s demands? asked Mr. O’Toole.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is doing its part to support Ukraine. Last week, the Trudeau government announced that it was extending the UNIFIER mission of 200 Canadian soldiers in Ukraine for another three years to continue training Ukrainian troops and that another 60 Canadian soldiers will join this mission in the coming days. He confirmed that he will send non-lethal equipment such as bulletproof vests and optical equipment.
In addition, Canada also promises to share intelligence with Kyiv while increasing support in the fight against cyberattacks. A loan of 120 million dollars has been granted to the Ukrainian government, but this money cannot be used to buy military equipment.
“We respond to requests from our Ukrainian friends. We will always be with them against Russian aggression. That is why we extended and expanded the UNIFIER mission, which is used to train Ukrainian troops. That is why we sent $120 million in aid and economic support. This is why we help in many different ways, as requested by President Zelensky and others in our frequent exchanges, ”argued Justin Trudeau.
Other Conservative MPs subsequently hounded Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly on this subject during question period.
MPs will hold an emergency debate Monday night in the House of Commons on ongoing tensions between NATO and Russia over the future of Ukraine. Russia fiercely opposes Ukraine joining the military alliance founded after World War II.
In New York, Russia and the United States tore at the UN Security Council over troops massed by Moscow near Ukraine, as Western countries stepped up diplomatic efforts to avoid military conflict.
The Security Council held a meeting on this issue at the request of the United States after a failed attempt by Russia to prevent it. In all, 10 countries out of the 15 members of the Council voted in favor. This meeting is “a decisive step to bring the world to speak with one voice” on this crisis, according to the United States.
The Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, immediately accused Washington of seeking to “create hysteria” and “deceive the international community” with “unfounded accusations”.
His American counterpart Linda Thomas-Greenfield retorted that the deployment of more than 100,000 Russian soldiers around Ukraine threatened “international security”. She accused Moscow of wanting to deploy in early February, “evidence” in support, more than 30,000 additional soldiers in Belarus, whose regime is very close to the Kremlin.
On Sunday, the United States and the United Kingdom brandished the threat of new sanctions against Russia.
With Agence France-Presse