Trudeau cabinet will weigh further support for Ukraine during three-day retreat

The federal cabinet is meeting as tensions remain high over the potential for a Russian incursion into Ukraine and as NATO beefs up defence and deterrence forces.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says how Canada will respond to continued Russian threats against Ukraine will be on the agenda for a three-day virtual cabinet retreat set to get underway Monday.

The federal cabinet is meeting as tensions remain high over a potential Russian incursion into Ukraine. NATO officials announced earlier in the day that additional forces from the military alliance are being put on standby to deploy into eastern Europe as part of a bid to deter Russia.

“We’re going to continue to be there, to respond in ways that we can, to support Ukraine,” said Trudeau.

“This is something that matters deeply to us and I can tell you that we will be looking at the situation in Ukraine as part of our cabinet discussions over the next three days.”

He did not say whether Canadian officials are currently considering an order to evacuate families of diplomats stationed at the embassy in Kyiv — as the U.S. began doing over the weekend.

A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada did not say whether an evacuation of diplomats’ families is being considered, or whether any aspect of the staffing levels at the embassy will change.

“Global Affairs Canada takes the safety and security of our personnel, their families, and our missions overseas very seriously,” spokesperson Jason Kung said in an email.

“Global Affairs Canada works with its missions in the development of prudent contingency planning for any type of emergency situation, and continuously monitors the security situation at its missions abroad. We do not discuss operational details of our missions abroad out of security considerations.”