(Ottawa) Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, summoned the Russian ambassador to Canada to reprimand him after the invasion of Ukraine by his country. At the same time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is preparing to take stock of the situation in Ukraine.
Posted at 12:08 p.m.
Updated at 12:18 p.m.
The minister’s office told The Canadian Press that Ambassador Oleg V. Stepanov met with Mr.me Joly at the headquarters of Global Affairs Canada, where she condemned “in the strongest possible terms Russia’s blatant attack on Ukraine”. Minister Joly told Mr. Stepanov that Russia had violated the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine.
Shortly after The Canadian Press obtained this information, the Prime Minister’s Office announced a press briefing which will take place at 1 p.m. Mr. Trudeau will be accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, and the Minister of Defense, Anita Anand.
Earlier in the day, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino mentioned that “serious consequences” await Moscow for its “unjustified aggression”.
“In addition to the very significant and severe sanctions that we have already imposed on Russia, as well as our military commitment to be present in the region in the face of these attacks against Ukraine, we will take additional measures to stop the unjustified aggression of Russia,” said Mr. Mendicino during a press conference to announce financial support for a Montreal organization.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participated in a meeting with the leaders of the G7 countries at 9 a.m., according to his public agenda.
On Wednesday night on Twitter, Trudeau condemned the invasion and urged Russia “to immediately end all hostile and provocative action against Ukraine.” It also calls on it to withdraw all of its military forces from the country”.
The Prime Minister said in his statement that Canada will work with NATO and its allies “to provide a collective response to these irresponsible and dangerous acts, including through the imposition of significant sanctions”.
Minister Mendicino indicated that a range of economic and diplomatic sanctions are being considered against Russia.
“It is imperative that Canada works very closely with our G7 partners as well as our NATO allies to speak with one voice,” he said.
Asked about the reprisals that Canada could suffer from Russia as a result of sanctions, the minister expressed confidence.
“We are on high alert. We are ready. We have a national security apparatus and other tools at our disposal to ensure that we can protect Canadian interests at home and abroad, and we will respond quickly and decisively as needed to protect those Canadian interests,” he said. -he declares.
Many reactions
Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, there have been many reactions.
Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, also called the outcome a “grotesque war crime.”
Canada has a large Ukrainian diaspora and many people are worried about their loved ones in their country of origin.
For her part, Minister Joly met with Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Larisa Galadza.
On social media, she wrote: “The team is safe and the embassy will offer consular services to Canadians from Lviv for as long as possible. If you need help in Ukraine, contact us at [email protected]”.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper also posted a message on Twitter. He first wrote that he was praying for the people of Ukraine and recalled that the conflict was predictable as President Putin’s war in Ukraine began in 2014.
He calls on NATO member countries to respect their commitments and says that the Russian president and his allies must be treated like the international pariahs they have chosen to become.