Canada joins Western allies targeting Putin in fresh round of sanctions

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This article was published 24/02/2022 (938 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Western world leaders weighed what next steps could halt an inexorable Russian march on the Ukrainian capital, as Canada joined the U.S. and Europe in slapping sanctions directly on Russian President Vladimir Putin, and NATO bolstered defensive forces outside Ukraine’s border.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted that with Russian troops’ advance on Kyiv, it looks to be a long game — one Putin is playing by his own rules.

“Putin has chosen to upend 75 years of peace by invading,” said Trudeau, but he said Russia has underestimated the resolve and ability of Western democracies to stand up to him.

Trudeau said it is the first time sanctions directly target Putin, who for years defied international norms — invading Georgia, leaving soldiers in Moldova against that country’s will, and invading Ukraine in 2014 and annexing Crimea.

“We have not ever taken as a global community to the step of sanctioning him personally, this is a significant step” that Trudeau said goes “directly at President Putin’s considerable personal wealth.”

A report in Fortune magazine cited estimates of Putin’s wealth at between $70 to $150 billion in assets.

Putin “does not have much, if anything in terms of personal holdings in Canada,” the prime minister acknowledged.

But he insisted the co-ordinated move among all Western allies closes any loopholes the Russian president and those who manage his billions might exploit.

Canada, like the U.S. and Europe, is also listing Putin’s chief of staff, his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov along with putting additional sanctions on Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko “and his regime” for abetting Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, on top of human rights violations at home.

Canada also threw its support behind a growing call to evict Russia from the global financial transaction system, known as SWIFT, “to make it more difficult for Putin to finance his brutality,” said Trudeau.

However, the U.S. and some European countries including Italy have not yet endorsed that step.

“We are stronger together, especially as we stand in the face of the Russian military’s actions and their invasion of Ukraine as it relates to SWIFT,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters.

SWIFT is a transaction messaging service that connects 11,000 banks and “many would argue that there are ways that Russia, the Russian leadership could get around that over the course of time, but it certainly remains an option on the table,” said Psaki.

NATO leaders in a joint statement warned Russia would “pay a severe price, both economically and politically, for years to come.”

Trudeau said the federal government will also match humanitarian donations to the Red Cross for Ukraine, up to $10 million — on top of the millions it has provided in loans and financing for Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video Friday with his ministers in the streets of the capital, saying they were ready to defend Ukraine.

Trudeau said he had spoken to Zelenskyy earlier in the day and is “inspired” by his courage and devotion to his country.

After a meeting Friday of NATO political leaders, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance will continue to send military equipment including air defence systems to Ukraine, and is boosting the defence capacity of Ukraine’s neighbouring NATO-member countries on the ground, in the air and by sea.

This week, Canada added 460 to the 800 Canadian Forces taking part in Operation Reassurance in Latvia, and Defence Minister Anita Anand said another 3,400 troops were placed on standby to be ready to deploy as required by NATO. But she has not said when that might happen.

Canada had already unveiled sanctions earlier in the week that targeted Russian lawmakers, the country’s financial institutions and Putin’s inner governing circle, including the security council and Russia’s justice, defence and finance ministers, and other oligarchs with ties to the ruling elite, along with four Ukrainian collaborators.

But the measures did not initially target Putin and his top foreign deputy Lavrov.

Up until Friday morning, Ottawa had listed 471 individuals. The sanctions also hit 27 Russian financial and other institutions, including its central bank, and its ministry of finance, and key players like one of Russia’s top gas producers Gazprom.

Global Affairs has not yet responded to a request for clarification about how the sanctions affect Gazprom’s ability to do global business.

There are calls for Ottawa to pave the way for more humanitarian or immigration aid to Ukrainians seeking to flee, including from inside the Liberal caucus, from the Ontario government and from the federal New Democrats.

At a light armoured vehicle factory in London, Premier Doug Ford pledged settlement supports.

“We need to speed things up, expedite people fleeing the tyranny that Russia has put on Ukraine. It’s absolutely disgusting,” Ford said, noting Ontario is home to more than 300,000 people of Ukrainian heritage — many of them in Toronto.

“When they settle here, we’re going to be there to support them and the community is going to be there to support them.”

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said Friday “we have taken nothing off the table.”

Ford told reporters a labourer’s union has said it can find jobs for 20,000 refugees.

Nicole Giles, a senior Immigration Canada official, told reporters Thursday that the federal government has opened a dedicated phone line, and will issue urgent travel documents for Ukrainian Canadian citizens, family members and permanent residents.

Ottawa is also working to allow Ukrainians currently in Canada “to remain here safely should they wish to do so.”

“Ukrainian nationals in Canada can apply to extend their study or work permit, and their applications will be prioritized,” she said. “As well Ukrainian nationals with valid visitor status in Canada can apply for employer specific work permits provided they have a job offer. Again, these applications will be prioritized.”

Read more on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The Star’s latest coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Why is Russia invading Ukraine? Everything you need to know

What are Canada’s sanctions against Russia and how do they stack up to other countries’?

What is SWIFT and why haven’t countries expelled Russia from it yet?

Does China support the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

What role did Ukraine’s desire to join NATO play in Putin’s decision to invade the country?

A list of Russian allies during the Ukraine invasion and the reasons they support the aggression

With files from Rob Ferguson

Tonda MacCharles is an Ottawa-based reporter covering federal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @tondamacc