Russia-Ukraine tensions: What should Canada do?

Canada can and should be more engaged in de-escalation efforts at the Ukraine border where Russia is amassing troops but must focus on its diplomatic strengths, says national security experts.

In an interview on CTV’s Question Period airing Sunday, Richard Fadden, former CSIS director and national security adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said that includes calling out Russian aggression and threatening further sanctions, in union with NATO allies.

“We should be out there beating the bushes with our allies arguing, maybe send some more troops on a rotational basis, make sure sanctions that are now in place are fully respected, argue for bigger sanctions, but I don’t think we can do a great deal on our own,” he said.

“One good thing that has come out of what Putin has done is it’s pulled NATO together again, and I think we should build on that.”

Canadian officials have been watching closely the situation at Ukraine’s eastern border, where Russia has sent 100,000 troops raising concerns about the potential of an invasion.