Canada will sanction ten “accomplices” in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on the first day of a trip to Europe.
Among those sanctioned are former and current Russian government officials, oligarchs and supporters of Russian authorities.
Their names come from a list compiled by imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Trudeau told a press conference in London alongside British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and their Dutch counterpart. Mark Rutte.
“These sanctions are intended to increase pressure on Russian authorities, including Vladimir Putin’s inner circle,” Trudeau said. The work we do together is to punish Putin and his enablers where it hurts the most, including crippling their financial system and sanctioning their central bank. »
Canada and NATO countries have increased financial sanctions against Russia since President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine.
So far, Canada estimates it has sent about $1 billion to Ukraine.
Canada, Britain and their NATO allies have rejected desperate Ukrainian demands for a no-fly zone to protect their civilians from Russian bombing, fearing it could spark a new world war.
An adviser to Ukraine’s president said on Monday a fourth round of talks with Russia would begin later in the day as the Russian bombardment entered its 12th day, after killing more than 360 civilians.
Mr Johnson hosted his ‘friend’ Justin Trudeau at an airbase, saying ‘Canada and the UK are in agreement on many points’, adding that they are ‘particularly united in [leur] stand against Putin’s aggression in Ukraine”.
Busy schedule
Mr. Trudeau also met in the morning with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.
In the coming days, Mr. Trudeau will also meet with other leaders in Riga, Latvia, Berlin, Germany, and Warsaw, Poland.
The Prime Minister’s busy agenda also includes a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has traveled to Europe in recent days for meetings with NATO and European Commission officials about ongoing efforts to sanction Russia.
International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan will also travel to Geneva and then join Trudeau in Eastern Europe to meet with United Nations and other partners to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
On Sunday, the British Ministry of Defense compared Russia’s tactics in Ukraine to its armed interventions in Chechnya in 1999 and Syria in 2016, during which it stepped up air raids after encountering unexpected resistance on the ground. British intelligence says the determination of Ukrainian fighters astounds Russian forces and that the heavy shelling of cities including Kharkiv and Mariupol serves to break Ukrainian morale.
During an hour-long conversation on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop fighting in an attempt to address humanitarian concerns and try to find a political solution.
The Kremlin said Putin responded that Russia’s military action in Ukraine could only be stopped “if Kiev ceases hostilities and meets Russia’s well-known demands”.
With a third round of talks between Ukraine and Russia on Monday, the Kremlin said Putin had expressed hope that Ukraine would take full account of “emerging realities”.
With information from Mike Blanchfield, in London