Trudeau, Ukrainian president talk sanctions, extending training mission to deter Russian military

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today discussed extending Canada's military training mission and the prospect of more sanctions on Moscow as Russian troops conducted a live-fire exercise on Ukraine's border.

The discussion between the two leaders took place by phone one day ahead of direct talks between Russian diplomats and a 30-member NATO council — negotiations meant to dial back tensions between Ukraine and Russia.

In a tweet, Zelensky said he spoke with Trudeau about the security situation in Donbas, the eastern region of the country where Russian proxy forces have been fighting the Ukrainian Army since 2014.

Zelensky also said they exchanged views on international efforts to de-escalate the crisis and the continuation of Operation Unifer, the 200-strong Canadian military training mission headquartered in the western part of the country.

In Defence Minister Anita Anand's mandate letter, the Liberal government signalled that it intends to renew the mission when its mandate expires in March. That would still require formal cabinet approval.

The Prime Minister's Office has not yet released its own account of the conversation.

The conversation unfolded against a menacing backdrop as 3,000 Russian troops, backed by tanks, conducted a major training exercise with live ammunition in western Russia near the border with Ukraine.

The idea of further sanctions — seen as a principal instrument of retaliation in the event Russia invades Ukraine — has been discussed among the allies for weeks. Both the United States and NATO have said they will not send troops to repel any military action by Moscow.

"Ukraine continues working intensively to strengthen the international unity in the face of today's threats," said Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in a statement to CBC News.

"This is a key element in the strategy to counteract Russia and part of a complex package to deter Russia from further aggression."

The past two days of talks between senior American officials and Russian negotiators in Geneva have been inconclusive. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith reassured allies today that they are united going into this next meeting.

"NATO is open and committed to a meaningful reciprocal dialogue with Russia," said Smith. "At the same time, we stand united to deter threats against NATO allies and further Russian aggression against our partners in Europe."

Russia has called on NATO to guarantee in writing that it won't expand eastward into Ukraine and another former Soviet republic, Georgia. The demand has been firmly rejected by the U.S., NATO and Ukraine.

Moscow also wants a pullback of all NATO forces deployed in eastern Europe to a line that existed in 1997, prior to the inclusion of former East Bloc countries.