Russian Embassy in Ottawa vows 'retaliation' after Canada extended sanctions
Canada's decision to expand the anti-Russian sanctions will have a negative impact on the relations between the two countries. This was reported by the press service of the Russian Embassy in Canada.
"The decision of the Government of Canada to extend the existing anti-Russian sanctions deserves condemnation and is contrary to its stated intentions to change the policy and restore communication internationally. Instead of making a change to an unsuccessful policy, a repetition of confrontational tendencies happened, which obviously will have negative consequences for Russian-Canadian relations," the statement read.
The embassy added that "this is not a diplomatic path leading to an honest and mutually respectful dialogue.
On March 18, Canada imposed additional sanctions on the Ukrainian and Russian citizens and companies involved in the Russian aggression against Ukraine. It is noted that the sanctions won't be lifted until Russia fully complies with the Minsk Agreements.
Economic sanctions against Russia were imposed by the United States, the European Union and some other countries in the spring of 2014 after the annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of hostilities in the Donbas region. Packages of sanctions were expanded and tightened several times. For example, on March 2, 2016, US President Barack Obama extended anti-Russian sanctions for another year.
Canada first introduced sanctions against Ukrainian officials in January of 2014, when Ukraine was still ruled by Viktor Yanukovych and Mykola Azarov. At that time, Ottawa limited the entry for "key public figures in Ukraine, considering the brutal suppression of the legitimate protests and intimidation of dissidents."