OTTAWA — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says co-ordinated sanctions against Russia by G7 countries will go even further in the coming days, choking off President Vladimir Putin's ability to fund his war on Ukraine.
Freeland says she spoke with her G7 counterparts this morning, joined by Ukraine's "tired but determined" finance minister, who assured them his country would win the war as he spoke from a windowless room furnished with a spartan cot and a blue and yellow flag taped to the wall.
She says existing sanctions are the most serious and stringent ever imposed on a major economy and new measures will keep targeting the institutions and individuals enabling Putin to advance his attack.
The @G7 is united as we stand with Ukraine. Today, G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors heard from Ukraine’s Finance Minister, Serhii Marchenko. We will continue to isolate Russia financially and economically. pic.twitter.com/KxcVpAnL0g
— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) March 1, 2022
Freeland says G7 countries understand the stakes of this great conflict between democracy and dictatorship.
She says Putin has made a grave and historic error and this is not the behaviour of a superpower but the last gasp of a failing kleptocracy.
Defence Minister Anita Anand also says Canada will provide another 1,600 fragmentation vests and just under 400,000 meal packs to Ukraine in addition to previously announced military aid.
Sanctions
—Canada has banned all Canadian financial institutions from conducting transactions with the Russian central bank.
—Canada is imposing an asset freeze and a dealings prohibition on Russian sovereign wealth funds.
—Canada has imposed sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with his foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, and other top Kremlin figures.
—Canada supported the removal of Russia from SWIFT, the digital payment and messaging network that connects thousands of banks worldwide.
—Canada has sanctioned 58 people and entities connected to Russia, including key political leaders, oligarchs and their families, as well as the paramilitary organization known as the Wagner Group and several major Russian banks.
—Also on the list are members of the Russian Security Council, including key cabinet ministers close to Putin.
—Other sanctions target members of the Russian State Duma who voted to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, two separatist regions of Ukraine that have suffered eight years of war fuelled by Russian weapons and troops.
—A ban on Canadians from engaging in transactions and activities in the non-government controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk.
—A prohibition on anyone dealing directly or indirectly in Russia's sovereign debt in a bid to prevent that country from raising debt to cover spending costs.
—Measures prior to this week's actions had already targeted more than 440 individuals and entities, and have aligned with similar measures taken by allies such as the European Union and Britain. The sanctions freeze assets and prohibit the conduct of financial transactions with any entity on the list. They also impose a ban on travel to Canada to any individual on the list.
Military
—Canada will provide an additional 1,600 fragmentation vests and just under 400,000 meal packs to Ukraine.
—Canada is sending at least 100 portable anti-tank weapons and 2,000 rockets to Ukraine.
—Canada has provided $25 million in helmets, body armour, night-vision gear and other non-lethal aid for Ukraine’s military.
—Canada will send up to 460 additional troops to join the approximately 800 already deployed in Europe as part of NATO.
—On the ground, Canada will send a battery of artillery guns and an electronic warfare group. The battle group in Latvia already includes up to 540 Canadian personnel, vehicles and equipment.
—In the air, the military will send a CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft to serve under NATO command. On the water, a second frigate with a maritime helicopter will join NATO's Standing Naval Forces.
—About 3,400 Canadian Armed Forces personnel have also been authorized to deploy to Europe should NATO require the assistance.
—The federal government has offered up to $10 million in weapons and equipment to Ukraine. Included in that is $7.8 million worth of lethal weapons and ammunition.
Other actions
—Canada has banned Russian-owned or registered ships and fishing vessels in Canadian ports and internal waters.
—Canada will provide an extra $100 million in humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, targeted at helping displaced people and providing emergency health services, including trauma care, shelter, water, sanitation and food. This is in addition to the $25 million Canada has already allocated to Ukraine since the start of 2022.
—Canada has asked the International Criminal Court to speed up its investigation into Russia for possible war crimes.
—Canada has banned all imports of Russian crude oil, which were already negligible in the country.
—Canada has bolstered its presence in the region so it can fast-track immigration applications for Ukrainians. Canada has already expedited existing immigration applications from Ukraine and has approved 4,000 since Jan. 19.
—The federal government has asked the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to review the presence of the Russian state-run broadcaster, RT, on Canada's airwaves.
—Canada has closed its airspace to Russian aircraft.
—Canada will match up to $10 million in donations to the Canadian Red Cross to aid relief efforts in Ukraine.
—Canada is cancelling existing export permits for Russia, worth an estimated $700 million in trade.
—Canada has provided Ukraine up to $620 million in loans to help the country counter Russian efforts to destabilize the Ukrainian economy.
—At the start of February, Global Affairs Canada advised Canadians to avoid all travel to Ukraine. More recently, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly urged any Canadians in Ukraine to leave immediately.
—The federal government has also closed its embassy in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
