Canada has asked its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Ukraine. The Canadian government stated “ongoing Russian aggression and military buildup in and around the country” as the reason behind the advisory. Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly is due to visit Ukrainian capital Kyiv next week to reaffirm Canadian support for Ukrainian sovereignty.
“We have changed the risk level for Ukraine to avoid non-essential travel due to ongoing Russian aggression and military buildup in and around the country”, the Canadian government said in a travel advisory issued late Saturday.
Tensions between Ukraine and Russia remain high as Russia continue to station more than 100,000 troops at the border between the countries. Russia claims that it would not attack Ukraine but has threatened unspecified military action if its demands are not met. Russia is dead against Ukraine’s inclusion in NATO.
Canada, with a sizeable and politically influential population of Ukrainian descent, has taken a hard line with Russia since its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Joly will meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal and travel to the west of the country to speak to a 200-strong Canadian training mission that has been there since 2015.
Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister Marta Morgan and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke on Friday and pledged continued close coordination to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine and called for Russian de-escalation, a US State Department spokesperson said on Saturday.
Russia did not walk out of meetings on the crisis with the United States and European nations last week, but the talks ended with U.S. officials warning that the risk of a Russian invasion of Ukraine remains high.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday and “emphasized that any military incursion into Ukraine would have serious consequences, including coordinated sanctions”.
Canada has imposed punitive measures on more than 440 individuals and entities over the annexation of Crimea.
(With inputs from agencies)
