A supporter of Ukraine rallies outside the Embassy of Russia in Ottawa last month. Eight politicians who belong to the United for Ukraine Parliamentary Network are meeting with Canadian decision-makers.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
A delegation of European lawmakers is in Ottawa this week urging Canada to mount a more forceful response to Russia’s continuing war on Ukraine, including pressing China into ending its support for Moscow in the conflict.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, was among a group of eight politicians who belong to the United for Ukraine Parliamentary Network and are meeting with Canadian decision-makers.
She said Canada has been exemplary in applying sanctions along with other Western allies against Russians and others responsible for Moscow’s assault on Ukraine.
Ms. Klympush-Tsintsadze said Canada should more directly help Europeans in “cutting the Russian ability to carry on this war effort” by finding ways to ship natural gas and oil to the continent and supplant Moscow’s energy sales to Europe.
She remarked on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s efforts to strengthen ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying Ottawa should speak up for Ukraine when talking to Beijing.
As Group of Seven foreign ministers noted in a joint statement last November, China remains a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Beijing flouts Western sanctions to buy Moscow’s petroleum, to supply parts for weapons and, through some smaller banks and money-transfer systems, provide financial services to Russians.
“We see that your leadership is also seeking contacts with China,” the Ukrainian MP said. “China is the country that is backing the Russian military effort. So maybe use your contacts with China to that extent,” she said.
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Ms. Klympush-Tsintsadze suggested pressure from other countries could give Beijing pause. “Maybe they care about some remnants of their reputation, and try to stop that assistance,” she said of China.
“So there are ways, I think, where Canada could be, with its stance, much more results oriented.”
Canada has committed more than $26-billion in support, both civilian and military, to Ukraine since 2022.
Oleksandr Merezhko, another member of Ukraine’s Parliament, said his country is not just fighting Russia but a coalition of countries backing Moscow including Iran, North Korea, Cuba and China.
“Without Chinese support, without Chinese money, Russia would have to stop the war,” he said, adding possibly one of the biggest geopolitical shifts taking place these days is cash-strapped Russia’s increasing dependence on Beijing.
“Russia is turning into the vassal of China,” he said.
The group has been meeting with Canadian members of Parliament, senators and think tanks and plans to meet Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Thursday, among others.
Oleksandr Merezhko, shown in Kyiv in 2025, said his country is not just fighting Russia but a coalition of countries that backs Moscow.Olga Ivashchenko/The Globe and Mail
Russia’s all-out assault on Ukraine began in February, 2022, and several of the visiting Europeans remarked on how little coverage they see in Canadian media of the conflict.
Mr. Merezkho warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s appetite for territory will not stop at Ukraine. He predicted that Moscow will eventually invade neighbouring Moldova to seize its Transnistria region.
“It’s a war for Russian-speaking people. And each country which has Russian-speaking minorities is in danger,” the MP said.
The politicians, also from Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, Finland and Latvia, said Canadians must wake up to the fact that Russia is testing NATO every day.
“He is a provocateur. He makes a provocation, and he sees what happens. If there is no strong reaction, he moves further,” Mr. Merezkho said of Mr. Putin.
Some European leaders and military brass have said that Russia by 2029 will have the capacity to attack another North Atlantic Treaty Organization country.
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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned last week, citing unnamed intelligence agencies, that Russia plans to launch “hybrid” drone and missile attacks against countries supporting Ukraine.
Agnieszka Pomaska, a Polish lawmaker, said Russia is testing NATO every day, citing sabotage on railways, GPS jamming, drones or incursions into alliance airspace. “It’s not about 2029,” she said. “It’s about the next year.”
She noted that a Russian military helicopter Wednesday briefly entered Polish airspace. “Every day on my phone in the morning, I receive any information that there was some kind of alarm at the border, close to the border, or even in my city or somewhere in the continent,” Ms. Pomaska said.
Rihards Kols, a Latvian member of the European Parliament, said he believes Mr. Putin’s “dream is to test Article Five” of NATO, the collective-defence clause that obliges members to consider an attack against any to be an attack against all.
Russia is trying to find ways to attack alliance members that will not trigger a collective response, he said.
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Mr. Kols said it’s unfortunate that European leaders describe Russian hostile actions – computer hacking or sabotage – as “hybrid” attacks because it “tones down the seriousness” of these actions. Hybrid is an adjective used to describe measures that are below the threshold of conventional armed conflict.
He believes Mr. Putin will not be satisfied with a ceasefire in Ukraine if one arises – and will want to deploy his battle-hardened troops elsewhere after. “The Russia threat will not just fade away,” Mr. Kols predicted. “It’s just matter of time when the resources will be mobilized to push and penetrate somewhere else.”
With reports from Reuters