Canada, Britain discussing Russia sanctions if it invades Ukraine, says U.K. envoy

Feb 10, 2022 | 1:24 PM

OTTAWA — Britain’s envoy to Canada says the two countries are co-operating on a tough new set of sanctions against Russia if it invades Ukraine.

Susannah Goshko, the British High Commissioner to Canada, says her country’s passage of new sanctions legislation on Thursday will strengthen its ability to target individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Goshko spoke to The Canadian Press as British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss held talks in Moscow with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Prime Minister Boris Johnson flew to Brussels and Poland.

Russia’s deployment of 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders is stoking fears of invasion, but Russia denies it has any plans to invade.

Goshko says Britain will be sharing a full update of its meetings with Canadian officials after receiving a full update on the recent travels of Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Defence Minister Anita Anand to Ukraine and other European capitals.

The British diplomatic forays follow French President Emmanuel Macron’s attempt to defuse the tensions on the Russia-Ukraine border with his own meeting with Putin in Moscow on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2022.

The Canadian Press