Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is sending hundreds more troops to eastern Europe and imposing new sanctions on Russia in response to the deployment of forces into Ukraine.The prime minister says up to 460 additional Canadian Armed Forces members are being sent to Latvia and the surrounding region to bolster NATO in the face of Russian aggression.He also says Canada is taking a number of steps alongside its allies to isolate Russia financially.The sanctions come as the threat of war between Russia and Ukraine grows.On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was given permission from Kremlin lawmakers to deploy Russian military forces to two separatist-held regions of eastern Ukraine for what officials said would be a “peacekeeping” mission. Story continues below advertisement The permission came after Moscow formally recognized the independence of the Ukrainian regions on Monday, triggering international condemnation and sanctions from Western nations.The Kremlin has consistently denied it is planning to pursue a full-blown war with Ukraine – but the United States declared Russia’s troop deployments in eastern Ukraine to be an “invasion.”Biden announced Tuesday that Washington is imposing “full blocking sanctions” against Russia’s military bank and the financial institution VEB. The White House also announced it’s implementing “comprehensive sanctions on Russian sovereign debt,” meaning Russia’s government has been cut off from Western financing, Biden said.Furthermore, Washington will also impose sanctions on Russian elites and their family members in the coming days, and has promised to introduce steeper punishments if Moscow continues its aggression in Ukraine. 2:13Putin orders troops into Eastern Ukraine Putin orders troops into Eastern Ukraine When it comes to sanctions, the European Union agreed on Tuesday to blacklist more politicians, lawmakers and officials, to ban EU investors from trading in Russian state bonds, and to target imports and exports with separatist entities. Trending Stories Story continues below advertisement Meanwhile, Germany took steps to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia.The decision was a significant move for the German government, which had resisted pulling the plug on the project despite pressure from the United States and some European countries to do so.For years, the Americans have argued that building another pipeline that brought natural gas to Germany from Russia increased Europe’s reliance on Russian energy supplies.U.S. officials also warned Nord Stream 2 poses risks to Ukraine and Poland because it could allow Russia to stop pumping gas through those countries. 2:50Lviv, dubbed Ukraine’s safe haven, braces for conflict ahead of potential Russian invasion Lviv, dubbed Ukraine’s safe haven, braces for conflict ahead of potential Russian invasion For weeks, the West has been bracing for escalation as Russia stationed roughly 150,000 troops on three sides of neighbouring Ukraine. Story continues below advertisement They warned an attack would cause massive casualties, energy shortages in Europe and economic chaos around the globe – and promised swift and severe sanctions if it materialized.Western leaders have long warned that Moscow would look for cover to invade – and such a pretext might have come Monday when Putin recognized two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine as independent, and deployed troops to them.For eight years in those regions, Ukrainian government troops have fought Russia-backed rebels in a conflict that has killed at least 14,000 people.In recent weeks, Russia has blamed the U.S. and its allies for the current crisis and described Ukraine’s desire to join the NATO alliance as an existential challenge to Russia.Russia wants western guarantees that NATO won’t allow Ukraine and other former Soviet countries to join as members. Moscow has also demanded the alliance halt weapons deployments to Ukraine and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe – demands rejected by the West.Diplomatic talks have been ongoing, but have yet to yield any positive results.— with files from the Canadian Press, Associated Press and Reuters © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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