Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada will join allies in imposing severe sanctions on Russian officials if the country takes further military action to compromise Ukrainian sovereignty.
Russia has positioned about 100,000 troops across Ukraine's borders, along with tanks and other heavy artillery, stoking fears across Europxjmtzywe of an invasion, but Russia has denied it intends to do that.
Joly says Russia is already in Ukraine and that Canada and its European and NATO allies will not stand for further provocation — a reference to Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and the fomenting of Russian separatist forces in Ukraine's eastern region.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said he expects Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine, but that he will pay a "dear price" for that.
- CBC ExplainsRussia could be on the brink of invading Ukraine. Here's what might happen next
- Russia is looking for a pretext to invade Ukraine, Trudeau says
Joly was speaking in Brussels today with her European Union counterpart Josep Borrell, where she is wrapping up her three-country tour, which has included stops in Ukraine and France.
Joly is to meet later today with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
