The International Committee of the Red Cross is asking Canada not to mix promises of humanitarian aid with announcements about military support and sanctions when it comes to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
ICRC director of operations Dominik Stillhart says he understands the government wants to show its support for Ukrainians in their time of need.
But he says lumping promises of humanitarian assistance with military support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia threatens the neutrality that aid groups require to safely operate there and elsewhere.
While Stillhart did not identify any specific examples, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday announced $50 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Ukraine while also levying new sanctions against dozens of Russian officials.
Stillhart says the ICRC has also seen some questions from Canada’s Ukrainian diaspora after Red Cross president Peter Maurer visited Moscow last week.
Get breaking National news
But Stillhart says the visit, which followed a similar stop in Kyiv, was aimed at ensuring humanitarian aid is able to reach those in Ukraine who need it, and to try to co-ordinate evacuation routes for civilians trapped in Mariupol and other cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2022.
- Carney unveils ‘Buy Canadian’ defence plan, says security can’t be a ‘hostage’
- Canadian immigration officers investigating hundreds identified by extortion task force
- Rhode Island shooting brought to ‘swift end’ by ‘good Samaritan’: police
- ‘Canada can broker a bridge,’ Carney says on new trading bloc efforts
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.