Carney says ‘maximum pressure’ needed as Canada levies more sanctions against Russia

CTV’s Colton Praill reports on promises Prime Minister Carney has made to support Ukraine, after G7 meeting with Zelenskyy.

Canada is levying new sanctions against additional Russian individuals, entities and more than 200 “shadow fleet” vessels, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Tuesday.

The new sanctions are the latest in a series that Canada has issued since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. They also come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting with Canadian officials at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta.

Support for Ukraine was listed as one of the central topics of this year’s summit, which Carney is hosting. Zelenskyy is attending as a non-member invitee.

“This is one of Canada’s most important sanctions announcements since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, comprising its biggest-ever package of vessel- and trade-related sanctions,” reads a statement from Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand’s office.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy, Carney said the G7 leaders agree “maximum pressure” must be exercised against Russia, which “includes financial pressure.”

“This is our contribution,” he said. “We’ll be working with our European and other allies for their contributions to provide the support. And to be absolutely clear, this support will be unwavering until we get a just peace Ukraine.”

The new sanctions cover a range of industries, from “goods related to the production of chemical and biological weapons” to “vessels involved in the movement of oil, liquefied natural gas, arms and other items for the benefit of Russia.”

Canada is also providing more military assistance to Ukraine, Carney said, including drones, helicopters and broader munitions totalling more than $2 billion. The prime minister said Canada will also disperse a loan based on frozen Russian assets worth more than $2 billion.

The announcement that Canada is issuing further sanctions and providing additional military assistance also comes on the heels of a Russian missile and drone bombardment in Ukraine’s capital during what Zelenskyy called “a very difficult night” and “one of the biggest attacks from the very beginning of this war.”

“We are ready for the peace negotiations. Unconditional ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said, ahead of his bilateral meeting with Carney. “I think it’s very important. But for this, we need pressure.”

Peace talks between the two countries, pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump, have effectively stalled in recent weeks, with Russian President Vladimir Putin refusing to meet face-to-face with Zelenskyy.

Russia has also stepped up air attacks on Ukraine. Overnight, the Russian military carried out its deadliest air attack on Kyiv this year, levelling a multi-story apartment block and killing at least 15 people.

On Monday, Trump — before leaving the G7 summit to focus on the conflict in the Middle East — said ejecting Putin from the G8 in 2014 was a “mistake,” and suggested Russia wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if it were still a member of the group.

He also suggested the war could have been avoided had he still been president at the time of Russia’s invasion.

Since 2014, Canada has issued nearly 2,500 sanctions on Russian individuals and entities.

With files from CTV News’ Brennan MacDonald and Luca Caruso-Moro