In the wake of Russia invading Ukraine, some western world leaders have threatened to punish Russia with toughened sanctions. The President of the United States, Joe Biden and Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau have described as horrific the actions of the Vladimir Putin and his military forces.
During a briefing from the White House, President Joe Biden called the Russian invasion an “unprovoked and unjustified attack.” saying Putin “chose this war” and “will bear the consequences” of new sanctions.
The sanctions will target Russian banks, oligarchs and high-tech sectors. Biden said, U.S. allies will be blocking assets of four large Russian banks, imposing export controls and sanctioning oligarchs.
He however held off imposing some of the most severe sanctions, including cutting Russia out of the SWIFT payment system, which allows for the transfer of money from bank to bank around the globe, or targeting Russia’s energy sector.
President Biden has however said that the U.S. will not send troops into Ukraine to fight the Russians but will deploy additional forces to Germany to bolster the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“NATO is more united and more determined than ever,” he said. “There’s no doubt, no doubt, that the United States and every NATO ally will meet our Article 5 commitments, which says an attack on one is an attack on all.”
During a briefing from Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada will also impose additional sanctions on Russia, targeting 58 people and entities connected to the country, including members of Russia’s elite and their families, the paramilitary organization known as the Wagner Group and major Russian banks.
Phone conversation with @JustinTrudeau 🇨🇦 Today there is a full-scale war throughout 🇺🇦! We demand the immediate imposition of additional tough sanctions against Russia. Now, more than ever, we need concrete support! I count on leadership of 🇨🇦 in this process!
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 24, 2022
Canada will be prioritizing immigration applications for Ukrainians who want to come to Canada and is launching a dedicated telephone line for anyone who has any urgent questions about the process, Trudeau said.
According to Trudeau, Canada has arranged for the safe passage of any Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their families still in Ukraine through land borders with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova.
Source: CBC.com