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Ukrainian President Zelenskyy raises sanctions on Russia in conversation with Trudeau

Jan 11, 2022 | 11:58 AM

OTTAWA — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the West must be ready to impose further sanctions against Russia for its military buildup on his country’s eastern border.

Zelenskyy delivered that message to Trudeau in their Tuesday morning telephone call, which came on the eve of a key meeting in Brussels between the 30-country NATO alliance and Russia.

The meeting is aimed at defusing the ongoing tension between the West and the Kremlin as the Russian military is massing on Ukraine’s eastern border, stoking fears of an invasion.

Russia has called on NATO to guarantee it won’t expand eastward into Ukraine, a demand the alliance and Ukraine itself flatly reject.

The Ukraine foreign ministry said that Zelenskyy told Trudeau the West should remain firm and decisive in the face of the Russian aggression and should not back down to Moscow’s demands on NATO expansion.

A Canadian account of the call was not immediately available.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 11, 2022.

The Canadian Press