'Suffocate the Russian regime': Joly says SWIFT decision puts pressure on Putin
CTV
As Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth day, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada will make sure that Russia will 'pay a price' for its military actions.
"Our goal, and I'll be very blunt, is to suffocate the Russian regime," she told CTV's Question Period, which airs at 11 a.m. EST on Sunday. "Our best way right now is to put maximum pressure on the economy."
Canada's "first round" of sanctions against Moscow were announced Tuesday, when a Russian invasion appeared to be imminent. These sanctions ban Canadians from buying Russian sovereign debt or having have any financial dealings in the separatist-controlled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in Eastern Ukraine.
More sanctions were announced on Thursday, after Russia's attack began. These sanctions affect dozens of Russian oligarchs, banks, the paramilitary organization Wagner Group, as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"We are continuing by really looking at many, many options because we want to make sure that we're isolating Russia," Joly said.
