Trudeau announces sanctions on Putin, calls for Russia's removal from SWIFT banking system
CBC
Canada will impose sanctions directly on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle of advisers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday afternoon.
The sanctions will also extend to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin's chief of staff.
"These men bear the greatest responsibility for the death and destruction occurring in Ukraine," Trudeau said.
"The world is witnessing the horrors of President Putin's war of choice ... It is an atrocity for Ukraine's over 40 million innocent citizens, and for the world."
Trudeau described the new measures as the third set of "severe, coordinated sanctions" implemented by Canada and its allies.
The United States, United Kingdom and European Union earlier on Friday announced sanctions against Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The EU is freezing financial accounts connected to Putin. The U.S. sanctions also impose a travel ban on Putin.
Trudeau acknowledged that Putin does not have "much if anything in terms of personal holdings in Canada" but said the measure is important because it signals strong cooperation from Canada and its allies.
"This is a significant step and it has its impact in the fact that we are all, as Western countries, united and aligned on this," he said.
WATCH | Trudeau describes how sanctions will hurt Putin
Canada will also impose new sanctions on Belarus, which hosted joint exercises with the Russian military and served as the launching pad for the invasion across Ukraine's northern border. The new sanctions apply to 57 Belarusian individuals.
Trudeau is now calling for Russia's removal from SWIFT, the Belgian-based banking system used for many international financial transactions.
"Excluding Russian banks from SWIFT will make it even more difficult for President Putin to finance his brutalities," Trudeau said.
Trudeau and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are the NATO leaders pushing most vocally for Russia's removal from the banking system. The EU decided on Friday that it would not make that recommendation. The U.S. also has said it is not yet calling for that move.
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