“In troubled times, Canada Should Not Abandon Ukraine,” editorial, The Globe and Mail, January 31 (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/ukraine-at-a-distance/article33852834/):
Canada should renew its military training mission to Ukraine, and not let it expire at the end of March. Rumor has it that the mission – called Operation UNIFIER, for some reason – will continue. But the Cabinet has not yet made a decision, and its scale (up or down) remains in doubt. In this case, more is better.
That is because the conflict in the Donbas region in the southeast of Ukraine is getting worse. Some observers believe that the rising intensity is at least partly due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s warm affinity for the similarly bullying tendencies of Russian President Vladimir Putin – which in turn energizes the pro-Russian rebels on the chaotic frontiers in the Donbas. This may or may not be a long-term trend.
The Canadian training mission is doing its work at almost the opposite end of Ukraine, in the northwest. These Canadian soldiers are, and will continue to be, well out of harm’s way – in sharp contrast with a dangerous “peace support operation” the Liberal government wants to get involved with in Africa. …
The Canadian military personnel can’t do anything to directly help the civilians of southeast Ukraine, or the Ukrainian troops in the Donbas region itself. But they can and should continue with their training mission, and could do even more by expanding the mission. A show of international support by Canada would be timely, given Mr. Trump’s criticisms of NATO and his tacit support for Russia’s takeover of Crimea. …
“The sanctions on Russia are working, Mr. President: Don’t lift them prematurely,” by Alexander Vershbow, The Hill, January 27 (http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/foreign-policy/316614-the-sanctions-on-russia-are-working-mr-president-dont-lift#.WJGBupFB7gY.facebook):
…Rebuilding relations with Moscow is certainly a worthy goal, but for the United States to benefit from such a move, Washington needs to engage Moscow from a position of strength – and sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are central to that.
… sanctions put in place due to Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine should not be traded away for cooperation in other areas. That would squander U.S. leverage, and sow the seeds for further instability in Europe.
The sanctions are working. Even if Moscow’s officials say otherwise, Russia is interested in having sanctions removed. Well-coordinated with our European partners and compounded by the decline of global oil prices, the sanctions have had a biting impact on the Russian economy. …Experts point out that our forceful response also constrained the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine and helped stop further aggression. …
Sanctions should not last forever, of course – they are a means to an end, not an end in themselves. But easing or lifting sanctions should only come if Moscow changes its course on Ukraine – the reason they were imposed in the first place.
This means, most immediately, the Kremlin halting the violence in eastern Ukraine and withdrawing all financial, political and military support for its proxies, restoring Ukrainian control over its own borders, and respecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty once again. Ultimately, for all the sanctions to be removed, Russia must end its illegal occupation of Crimea. …