“Four years on, Russia is failing militarily, strategically and economically, and we are in it for the long term,” Carney told reporters in Ottawa on Feb. 24.
“Russia is failing. The sooner they come to the table and actually participate in peace negotiations, the better it will be.”
Canada has committed more than $25.5 billion in assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, including more than $13 billion in direct financial aid.
Carney said Canada will be donating 400 armoured vehicles to Ukraine’s military as well as levying new sanctions on shadow oil tankers moving Russian crude oil in attempts to dodge Western sanctions and price caps. The vessels are often older ships operating via shell companies, sailing under various flags or switching off their tracking systems to bypass Western restrictions on Russia exporting its oil.
“This is the fleet that effectively facilitates illegal exports of crude oil,” Carney said. “So we’re tightening that lifeblood from the Russian economy.”
Ottawa also confirmed it is renewing Operation UNIFIER, a military training mission launched in 2015 in partnership with Ukraine’s armed forces following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Defence Minister David McGuinty told reporters the continuation of Operation UNIFIER will expand Canada’s role in training Ukrainian forces. Canada has trained approximately 47,000 members of Ukraine’s military since its inception in 2015, he said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the new measures announced Feb. 24 are part of Canada’s “shoulder-to-shoulder” support for Ukraine, adding that sanctions will be applied to Russian individuals and companies, mainly in the energy sector.
Anand told reporters that Global Affairs Canada and the RCMP are providing oversight on the enforcement of sanctions against Russia.
