Canadian Foreign Minister visits Ukraine, vows to stop Russian aggression

Canadian Secretary of State Melanie Jolie speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (out of frame) at the State Department on November 12, 2021 in Washington, DC. Pool via Olivier Doulieri / Reuters

Ottawa, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie will visit Kiev next week to reaffirm support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and reinforce efforts by Russia to prevent “aggressive actions”, Ottawa said on Saturday. said.

Moscow has deployed more than 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine and the United States said on Friday it feared Russia was preparing an excuse to attack if diplomacy failed to meet its objectives. read more

Canada, with a large and politically influential population of Ukrainian ethnic ancestry, has taken a tough stand with Moscow since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

“The accumulation of Russian troops and equipment in and around Ukraine endangers security throughout the region. These offensive actions must be stopped,” Jolie said in a statement.

“Canada will work with its international partners to maintain a rules-based international order.”

Jolie will meet with Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denis Schmigel and travel to the west of the country to speak with the 200-strong Canadian training mission that has been there since 2015.

Trudeau’s office said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday and “emphasized that any military incursion into Ukraine would have dire consequences, including coordinated sanctions.”

Canada has imposed punitive measures against more than 440 individuals and entities over its annexation of Crimea.

Jolie, who begins a week-long trip to Europe on Sunday, will visit Brussels to meet NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

She will also visit Paris for talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the statement said.

Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Sandra Maler

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