Canada will send four more Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and sanction over 100 Russian individuals and entities to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday.
The tanks are on top of the four Leopard 2s already sent to Ukraine last month. In addition, Canada will send another 5,000 rounds of ammunition to Ukraine’s military.
Trudeau’s announcement came hours after Ottawa pledged more than $32 million in security support to Ukraine, the latest in a wave of fresh announcements from western nations meant to show continued support a year into Russia’s invasion of the country.
G7 nations have been readying new sanctions on Russia, which started the war when President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into the neighbouring nation on Feb. 24, 2022.
“Putin is dangerous, he is cowardly and he is weak,” Trudeau said in Toronto Friday. “His brazen disregard for human life, his irresponsible rhetoric and his willingness to inflict terrible violence on innocent people may seem to have no limits.
“But what is truly without limits is the courage and resolve of those who fight every day for their freedom.”
Trudeau later took part in a vigil in Toronto marking the anniversary, where he praised Ukrainians and the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “champion for democracy.”
Zelenskyy told reporters in a press conference on Friday that more weapons will allow his people to regain their territory.
Last month, Western nations relented to weeks of lobbying by Zelenskyy to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. The initial four released by Canada came from the 112 currently owned by the Canadian Armed Forces, which includes 82 designed for combat.
Defence Minister Anita Anand at the time left the door open to sending even more tanks in the future, though she also emphasized the need to ensure the Canadian Army has enough of the heavy weapons to train and defend the country and its NATO allies.
That led military analysts to suspect Canada would have to hold on to most, if not all, of its remaining tanks to meet its military commitments, including the government’s promise last year to upgrade the 2,000-soldier battlegroup it leads in Latvia to a brigade, which will mean boosting troops and equipment.
Andrew Rasiulis, a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and a former Department of National Defence official, said in an email the announcement of further tanks “is a classic case of political considerations overriding military preparedness considerations.”
Although Canada will likely still be able to send tanks to bolster the Latvia brigade, “our margin for effective preparedness will be proportionately reduced,” he added.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress praised Friday’s announcements as continued proof that “Ukraine can rely on Canada.”
“These weapons will help the courageous Ukrainian people liberate their territory from brutal Russian occupation,” UCC National President Alexandra Chyczij said in a statement.
More sanctions, funding from Canada
The new sanctions Trudeau announced Friday target 122 individuals and 13 entities, including members of Russia’s lower house of parliament who have voted in favour of legislation related to the invasion and the widely-discredited attempt to annex four eastern provinces of Ukraine. Russian deputy prime ministers, ministers and family members of previously sanctioned individuals are also included.
Another seven Russian individuals and 50 defence entities involved in Russia’s defence industry, including the production of tanks, missiles, and weapons systems that Russia is using in Ukraine, were also part of Friday’s announcement.
Canada will also prohibit the export of some chemical elements used in electronics to Russia, and ban the import, purchase and acquisition of Russian weapons and ammunition from Russia and any Russian entity.
Roughly $9.7 million of Friday’s $32-million funding announcement stems from Trudeau’s $151.7-million Ukraine support package announced in June 2022, the government said in a news release.
The new funding also includes $7.5 million for demining efforts, $13 million for “accountability efforts” that include addressing conflict-related sexual violence, and $12 million to counter chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.
“For an entire year, Canada and the international community have rallied like never before to support Ukraine’s resilience in the face of President Putin’s aggressions,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly in a statement.
“Canada’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty is unwavering. We will not stand down until Russia is held accountable for its crimes.”
Furthermore, the government announced Friday it has joined the “Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine (ACA)” alongside the United States, United Kingdom and European Union. The group will support Ukraine’s war crimes division and prosecutor general to investigate and prosecute war crimes committed in Ukraine, the government said.
Since Russia’s invasion, the federal government said it has committed over $5 billion in multifaceted support to Ukraine, including over $2.6 billion in assistance, more than $1.2 billion in military aid, $320 million in humanitarian aid, $96 million in development assistance and more than $68 million in security and stabilization programming.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy told reporters on Friday that victory over Russia was “inevitable” if all of Ukraine’s partners did their “homework.”
He argued that Ukraine cannot negotiate with Russia while its aggression continues. “Leave our territory. Stop bombing us,” he said. He also argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be held responsible for war crimes.
“This is not a child who broke something and can be forgiven,” he said.
G7 prepares to levy new sanctions
Leaders of the G7 nations, which include Canada, met virtually Friday to discuss Russia’s war on Ukraine.
In a joint statement, the G7 said it’s taking actions against third-country actors “materially supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
“We call on third-countries or other international actors who seek to evade or undermine our measures to cease providing material support to Russia’s war, or face severe costs,” the G7 said.
“To deter this activity around the world, we are taking actions against third-country actors materially supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
Earlier in the day, the United Kingdom and the United States separately imposed new sanctions, including export bans and tariffs on all materials used in the war, as well as “third country actors” supporting Russia’s war effort across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
The U.S. list of sanctioned entities from countries including Russia, China and France also features two Canadian companies, CPUNTO Inc. and Electronic Network Inc., which are both electronic component distribution companies headquartered in St. Laurent, Que.
“These additions are based on information that these companies significantly contribute to Russia’s military and/or defense industrial base and are involved in activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests,” a notice from the U.S. Department of Commerce reads.
The U.S. also unveiled a new $2-billion military aid package that includes more ammunition, electronic warfare detection equipment and other weapons to counter Russia’s unmanned systems, as well as several types of drones for Ukraine’s forces.
Yet the aid is aimed at funding for longer-term contracts to buy weapons and equipment and could take a year or more to reach the battlefield, meaning it won’t help Ukraine prepare for an anticipated spring offensive.
Hours after Putin launched his invasion last year, the G7 came together to impose severe sanctions against Moscow, the first in what would be multiple packages aimed at restricting Russia’s ability to fund its war efforts in Ukraine.
The G7 also said Friday it would expand sanctions already been imposed, and committed to preventing Russia from finding new ways to acquire advanced materials, technology, and military and industrial equipment.
Russia will pay “for Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction,” the group vowed, adding it was taking additional measures relating to Russia’s financial sector to “further undermine Russia’s capacity to wage its illegal aggression.”
Trudeau told reporters on Friday that Canada and its allies would continue to support Ukraine for the foreseeable future.
“Canadians are standing with Ukrainians while Ukrainians are standing up for more than their own freedom — they are standing up for all of us,” he said.
“We will continue to stand with Ukraine with whatever it takes for as long as it takes.”
The day before, Trudeau warned failing to support Ukraine and resist Russia’s aggression “could be devastating … for the entire planet.”
“It’s not just a question of Russia’s behaviour towards Ukraine or any countries around Russia,” he said. “It’s a question of other countries around the world wondering that, ‘Oh, perhaps might makes right, now. Perhaps because we have a larger army than our neighbour, we can invade, we can attack.’”
— with files from the Canadian Press and Reuters
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