Russia faces severe sanctions if it moves further into Ukraine: Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister says the country will join allies in imposing severe sanctions on Russian officials if the country takes further military action to compromise Ukrainian sovereignty.

“We can use choose meaningful dialogue or stress severe consequences,” Melanie Joly said Thursday.

Russia has positioned about 100,000 troops across Ukraine’s border along with tanks and other heavy artillery, stoking fears across Europe of an invasion.Russia has denied those are its intentions.

The ongoing situation in Ukraine remains deeply concerning — together, with our international partners, we continue to call on Russia to de-escalate and to engage in meaningful dialogue.

I discussed this matter with my Belgian counterpart, @Sophie_Wilmes. pic.twitter.com/J31YS2Gi9y

— Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly) January 20, 2022

Joly says Russia is already in Ukraine, and Canada and its European and NATO allies will not stand for further provocations — a reference to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its fomenting of separatist forces in Ukraine’s eastern region.

“Canada will be ready to take additional measures particularly with respect to the financial sector,” Joly added.

Canada has been training Ukrainian troops, but Ottawa still won’t say if it will follow the lead of the U.K. and U.S. and send weapons or military equipment to help defend the border.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Center for cybersecurity is warning companies and cities across the nation of potential Russian cyberattacks against our critical infrastructure.

On Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said he expects Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine but he will pay a “dear price” for that.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with the Russian prime minister Friday, and while he is still hoping for a peaceful solution, he fears Russia may fabricate an incident with Ukraine “and tries to use it to justify military intervention, hoping that by the time the world realizes the ruse, it’ll be too late,” he said.

Blinken said he is hopeful a peaceful solution can still be found adding diplomacy is preferred instead of the alternatives.

“This is not only about the possible war. It’s about whether Ukraine has a right to exist as a sovereign nation,” Blinken said.

Joly spoke with her European Union counterpart Josep Borrell in Brussels Friday, where she is wrapping her three-country tour that has included stops in Ukraine and France.

Joly is supposed to meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg later Thursday.