By Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada is sending four more Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine and imposing new Russia-related sanctions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday, marking the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The delivery would bring the total number of Leopard 2 tanks Canada has pledged to Ukraine to eight. Canada will also provide an armored recovery vehicle and over 5,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition to help Ukraine defend against Russia.
The new sanctions target 129 individuals and 63 organizations, including Russian deputy prime ministers and other officials, Trudeau told reporters in Toronto.
Russian President “Vladimir Putin made a serious miscalculation when he launched his war of aggression,” Trudeau said. “He underestimated the Ukrainians, and he underestimated the solidarity of their friends around the world… but today we are stronger and more united than ever.”
Ottawa also bans the export of “certain chemical elements for use in electronics” to Russia and bans the import, purchase or acquisition of Russian weapons and other weapons.
Canada joined other G7 members presenting similar measures. Since the war began a year ago, Canada has provided more than C$5 billion ($3.67 billion) in support to Ukraine, Trudeau said. Canada has also trained thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in recent years.
Washington announced a new $2 billion military aid package to Ukraine and a raft of additional sanctions and tariffs hitting Russia’s mining and metals industries, as well as third-country companies accused of supplying Moscow with restricted goods.
Russia’s Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov said the sanctions imposed by Canada and the West were “meaningless,” the TASS news agency reported.
“Our citizens who are on the list look at such measures with a smile,” Stepanov was quoted as saying. “This is a sign of the helplessness of the anti-Russian camp, which hates Russia but understands that we cannot be defeated.”
Earlier Friday, Canada announced more than C$32 million (US$23.5 million) in support, including funding for demining projects and countering chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.
($1 = 1.3612 Canadian Dollars)
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Grant McCool)
