OTTAWA – Noting that he was looking ahead to improved relations with the new Canadian government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov on January 26 complained of the previous government’s cooperation with “rabid representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada.”
At a press conference in Moscow on Russia’s diplomatic performance in 2015, Mr. Lavrov stated: “We were surprised by the total lack of any pragmatism in the impulsive actions taken by the previous government, which took the course, as you can understand, of blindly following the demands of rabid representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada.”
The next day, in Canada’s House of Commons, Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion admonished the Russian foreign affairs minister and underscored Canada’s strong and unwavering commitment to Ukraine and the Ukrainian Canadian community.
He spoke in response to a question from Member of Parliament Borys Wrzesnewskyj (Etobicoke Center, Ontario), who said: “Mr. Speaker, by militarily invading and annexing Crimea, and by continuously sending soldiers and lethal military equipment into the Donbas, the Kremlin has not only violated European borders, but has also broken international agreements on the sanctity of borders. Recently, the prime minister made clear Canada’s position to Russia’s president. Can the foreign affairs minister share with this House the government’s position on Russia’s continued illegal occupation of Ukrainian territory?”
Minister Dion responded: “Mr. Speaker, the travelling I have been planning for a while to Ukraine will be four days from now. I am so pleased to go to Ukraine to express to the government of Ukraine the steadfast support of Canada for Ukraine, how much we deeply disagree with the invasion and interference of the Russian government in Ukraine, and also how much we will not tolerate from a Russian minister any insults against the community.”
Mr. Dion traveled to Ukraine on January 31-February 1, and met with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin.