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Trudeau to address Russia’s troop deployment into eastern Ukraine

Feb 22, 2022 | 2:50 PM

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will address the Russian military’s deployment into eastern Ukraine at a news conference this evening.

The prime minister is scheduled to appear at 5 p.m. ET alongside Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Defence Minister Anita Anand.

The news conference comes as Canada’s allies in Europe and the United States have already responded to the deployment of Russian troops into Ukraine with economic sanctions.

Those sanctions include measures targeting Russian political and business leaders connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as banks and defence companies.

Putin on Monday signed a decree recognizing Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions as independent, before announcing the deployment of an unspecified number of troops into those areas.

While Putin says the troops will serve as “peacekeepers,” Canada and its allies say the move represents an invasion of Ukraine’s territory and a blatant violation of international law.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2022.

The Canadian Press