Canada's foreign minister says China peace talks in Moscow will prolong Ukraine war
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says China's attempts to broker peace in Ukraine will likely just help Russia re-arm and prolong the conflict.
In a Monday statement, Joly said the only way to end the war is for Russian President Vladimir Putin to "lay down his weapons and get out of Ukraine," and accused Moscow of turning to Beijing with a false premise.
"Make no mistake, the Russian regime is looking to buy time to resupply, recruit and re-attack," Joly said in the statement.
"A ceasefire not predicated on Russia's withdrawal of their troops from Ukrainian territory would only serve Putin's agenda by freezing the conflict before his losses become even greater."
Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Russia, arriving on Monday for peace talks after Beijing laid out a proposal that calls for an end to the conflict, although Xi has no plans to visit Kyiv.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said she wouldn't comment on Xi's motives, but said everyone must call out Moscow's "illegal and barbaric" invasion of Ukraine.
"The people responsible for that invasion are war criminals. Everyone in the world has a responsibility to be very clear about that," she said at an event in Oshawa, Ont.
"All the countries in the world have an absolutely clear interest in Putin's war failing, because Putin's invasion of Ukraine is the strongest challenge in a generation to the rules-based international order."
Freeland also noted the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant last Friday for Putin to face charges of war crimes.
"Countries that choose to support Russia are supporting war criminals and a war crime," Freeland said.
Canada and the other countries in the G7 have said since last October that they will support Ukraine "for as long as it takes" with humanitarian and military aid.
Yet developing countries have lamented feeling forced to choose sides between Russia's invasion and the West's opposition to it.
At last month's Munich Security Conference, countries such as Colombia argued that the conflict is diverting funding and attention away from the climate crisis, while others such as Namibia said the focus should be on ending the violence instead of assigning blame.
Beijing has argued along the same lines, and accused western powers of escalating the conflict through arms shipments.
"Our position has always been that dialogue and negotiation provides the fundamental way out for the Ukraine crisis, and that the international community needs to play a constructive role," China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Monday.
Wang also rejected reports that the U.S. State Department had found Chinese-made ammunition in Ukraine.
"It is the U.S., not China, that has been sending weapons to the battlefields in Ukraine. The U.S. needs to stop fuelling the fight with more weaponry and fanning the flame, stop pointing fingers at other countries or seeking to coerce and intimidate them, and play a constructive role," Wang said.
"President Xi's visit is a trip for friendship, a trip for co-operation and a trip for peace."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2023.
IN DEPTH
NDP MP wants 'democratic controls' on the prime minister's powers
A New Democrat MP is trying to convince his colleagues to change the rules that govern the House of Commons in a series of ways he says would instill 'democratic controls' on the prime minister's 'unfettered' powers.

As it happened: Deal reached between feds, union for 120,000 striking public servants
Monday morning, the Public Service Alliance of Canada announced it had reached a 'tentative' agreement with the federal government for the 120,000 picketing Treasury Board workers who, since April 19, had been engaged in one of the largest strikes in Canadian history. Here's a rundown of the developments from Parliament Hill as they happened.
MPs need to plug legislative 'holes' to address foreign interference before next election: party reps
The House committee studying foreign election interference heard from top 2019 and 2021 Liberal and Conservative campaign directors on Tuesday, with party officials from both camps speaking about the need for politicians to come together to address any "legislative gaps" ahead of the next vote.
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
'Everything is interwoven': Trudeau and Biden vow continued Canada-U.S. collaboration during historic visit
U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have announced updates on a number of cross-border issues, after a day of meetings on Parliament Hill.
Opinion
opinion | Don Martin: The lessons for Pierre Poilievre from the Alberta election
Danielle Smith's win in the Alberta election hands her the most starkly divided province confronting any premier in Canada, writes commentator Don Martin.

Opinion | Don Martin: David Johnston's reputation is but a smouldering ruin
Special rapporteur David Johnston didn't recommend public inquiry knowing it was a pathetically insufficient response for a foreign democratic assault of this magnitude, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion | Don Martin: Passport furor foreshadows a dirty-tricks campaign where perceptions will be reality
To frame a few new illustrations on pages tucked inside a passport as proof of a Liberal plot to purge the Canadian historical record seems like a severe stretch, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion | Don Martin: The stunning fall of the once-promising Marco Mendicino
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is a bright former federal prosecutor, who was destined to be a star in Justin Trudeau's cabinet. But in an opinion column on CTVNews.ca, Don Martin argues Mendicino has taken a stunning fall from grace, stumbling badly on important issues just 18 months into the job.
opinion | Don Martin: In the battle for Alberta, it's Smith versus her mouth
It's the most peculiar of elections with the frontrunner and her main opponent being the same person, writes columnist Don Martin. 'In the looming Alberta showdown, it's Premier Danielle Smith versus her mouth.'
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada sticking with 2050 net zero targets, but progress may come faster than expected, minister says
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the federal government is not ruling out finding ways to achieve net zero sooner than the existing 2050 goal, but would not say whether there would be a definitive commitment to move up the target.

Huda Mukbil, CSIS's first Black Arab-Canadian Muslim spy, opens up about her fight against terrorism and discrimination
Huda Mukbil, Canada's first Black Arab-Canadian Muslim spy, opens up in her new book about life in the world of espionage and the discrimination she faced within the CSIS.
Increase in mosquitoes 'a trend' across Canada this year. Here's why
Mosquitoes have always been pesky, but this spring it seems the bloodsuckers are thirstier than ever, a trend one expert says is increasing.
Four kids and one man drown after Quebec fishing accident: provincial police
A fishing excursion ended in tragedy on Saturday when four children died in a village in northeastern Quebec, provincial police said.
China rebukes U.S., Canadian navies for Taiwan Strait transit
China's military rebuked the United States and Canada for 'deliberately provoking risk' after the countries' navies staged a rare joint sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
What to know as Prince Harry prepares for court fight with British tabloid publisher
Prince Harry is set to testify in the first of his five pending legal cases largely centred around battles with British tabloids. Opening statements are scheduled Monday in his case.
Apple is expected to unveil a sleek, pricey headset. Is it the device VR has been looking for?
Apple appears poised to unveil a long-rumoured headset that will place its users between the virtual and real world, while also testing the technology trendsetter's ability to popularize new-fangled devices after others failed to capture the public's imagination.
Ukrainian father pulls daughter's body, wounded wife from apartment destroyed in Russian airstrike
A Ukrainian man rushed to his home in a suburb of the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, helping rescuers pull the body of his 2-year-old daughter from the rubble of their apartment destroyed in one of Russia's latest airstrikes of the war, authorities reported Sunday.
Error in signalling system led to train crash that killed 275 people in India, official says
The derailment in eastern India that killed 275 people and injured hundreds was caused by an error in the electronic signalling system that led a train to wrongly change tracks and crash into a freight train, officials said Sunday.