Michael Bociurkiw is a global affairs analyst and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C.
Did Russian President Vladimir Putin manage to hoodwink the Trudeau government?
It sure seems that way. Earlier this month, after a loud outcry from the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian-Canadian community, Ottawa announced it would cancel an exemption to sanctions that would have allowed six natural-gas turbines to be returned to Germany. One of the units had been repaired by a Montreal company and was destined for the Nord Stream pipeline, which carries natural gas from Russia to Germany and is operated by Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom, currently under sanctions.
Ottawa said the exemption was no longer necessary because Nord Stream had been rendered inoperable by malicious activity. Explosions detected around the Baltic Sea portion of the pipeline in September was described by Swedish investigators as “gross sabotage.”
At the time of the decision to grant the exemption, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said the government was “calling Putin’s bluff” by returning the turbine to Germany, explaining that it would deprive him of an excuse to halt gas exports to Europe and would not allow him to sow discord among G7 countries. “The world sees through his game, and that’s why we decided to make sure we took a strong stance and a difficult decision by sending back the turbine directly to Germany,” she said.
Russia responded by promptly rejecting the turbine, saying it couldn’t be used because it hadn’t been repaired properly and had improper documentation.
The whole affair was an apparent win for Mr. Putin, who had succeeded in creating a crack in the West’s unified response to his war in Ukraine.
Ottawa was under pressure from Berlin to release the turbine, but Canada should have stuck to its sanctions policy and held the turbine.
As Conservative shadow minister for national defence James Bezan said: “Putin is always playing chess, and it seems the government of Canada is playing checkers.”
The decision is one of many that constitute Ottawa’s bungled response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Not only was Canada slow to respond to Kyiv’s requests for lethal weaponry, unlike other allies, its contributions have fallen short. Since the start of 2022, Canada has provided less than a quarter of 1 per cent of GDP to Ukraine, whereas tiny Estonia has donated 1.1 per cent.
As a middle power, Canada cannot be expected to deploy unlimited muscle, especially in the midst of an economic downturn. However, a November Nanos poll indicated that the vast majority of Canadians would favour more financial aid to Ukraine – even if it contributed to a larger deficit.
On the ground in Ukraine, actions count louder than words. Canadian diplomats were among the first to flee Kyiv before the start of the invasion and among the last to return to their desks. Their departure was marred by serious allegations that intelligence on the targeting of Ukrainians on staff was withheld and that they were not offered sufficient support for seeking safe havens.
There are several measures Ottawa can take right now to further assist Ukraine and help it win the war faster.
First, Canada needs to increase its provision of lethal weaponry to Kyiv, including the type of kit that will help Ukraine make Crimea untenable for the Russians. Said former Ukrainian defence minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk on Dec. 20: “We don’t have enough weapons or ammunition even though it’s a well-known problem.”
Mr. Bezan has also proposed sending soon-to-be-decommissioned Canadian armoured vehicles to Ukraine.
Russian diplomats engaging in nefarious activities need to be sent packing. The Russian embassy’s Twitter account provides a taste of its ongoing and malicious disinformation campaign – for example, calling the Zelensky government a “Nazi regime.”
And after several waves of Russian missile and drone attacks on critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine, including a massive barrage just days after Christmas, Canada should offer transformers and circuit breakers, as well as generators for humanitarian aid operations. And it should contribute to the millions of energy-efficient light bulbs requested by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
During a “surprise” visit to Kyiv in May, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “We will continue to do whatever is necessary to stand with Ukraine, not just because it’s the right thing or because Ukrainians are our friends, but because it is also standing for the principles of democracy that keep Canadians safe.”
What is lacking from Canadian statements is the conviction – backed up by bold actions – that Ukraine needs to be supported all the way to victory. That’s what friends do.