Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Monday announced new sanctions against 10 individuals close to Russian leadership over the invasion of Ukraine. Canada has previously imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian officials and oligarchs over the crisis in Ukraine. The latest round of sanctions aims to increase pressure on Russia to end the crisis in Ukraine.
Trudeau announced the sanctions following a three-person meeting in London with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte. All three represent NATO member countries. In light of NATO’s refusal to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine on Friday, countries have been looking for other ways to increase pressure on Russia. Johnson called the meeting to coordinate the three countries’ responses to the crisis in Ukraine.
Following the meeting, Trudeau spoke to reporters and announced the new round of sanctions. The 10 individuals subject to the new sanctions include key media executives (Vladimir Solovyov, Margarita Simonyan, Konstantin Ernst), Russia officials (Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev, Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, former Justice Minister Pavel Krasheninnikov), FSB officials (Victor Gavrilov, Dmitry Ivanov) and a Russia businessman (Oleg Deripaska). The 10 individuals were targeted for their close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trudeau pulled the names from a list compiled by jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Trudeau said: “These sanctions put increased pressure on Russia’s leadership, including Putin’s inner circle.”