Canadian officials have announced $100 million for humanitarian assistance to aid Ukraine and a ban on Russian ships in Canadian ports and internal waters.
A pair of federal announcements on Tuesday are the latest actions to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
At a briefing, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland did not mince words when addressing the matter.
“President [Vladimir] Putin has made a grave and historic error. This is not the behaviour of a superpower, this is the last gasp of a failing kleptocracy, and President Putin has now become an international pariah,” said Freeland, adding more sanctions will be announced in the days and weeks ahead.
International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan said the additional $100 million will support life-saving services such as shelter, water, sanitation, and food assistance. Ministers also announced 1600 fragmentation vests and nearly 400,000 individual meal packs to aid Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced Canada will ban Russian-owned or registered ships and fishing vessels in Canadian ports and internal waters. It’s expected this measure will come into effect later this week.
“Russia must be held accountable for its aggression in Ukraine. Canada will continue to do what is necessary to respond,” Alghabra said in a statement.
