The federal government on Thursday condemned Russia’s threats against Canada and any companies participating in a recently signed drone production deal with Ukraine.
The Kremlin’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Wednesday called Canada a “warmonger” nation for signing the deal, which will see Canadian-made drones head to the battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine war to be used by the Ukrainian military.
Zakharova added Russia had a right to respond and vowed to publish the addresses of all Canadian production facilities participating in the drone deal.
In a statement to Global News responding to Zakharova’s comments, Global Affairs Canada said the government “condemns any threats made by Russia against Canadian entities.”
“Canada’s position is clear and unwavering: we stand firmly with Ukraine and with the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustifiable invasion,” the department said.
“We continue to condemn Russia’s aggression in the strongest possible terms and remain committed to supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and long-term security. There is one aggressor in this war, and it is Russia.”
Defence Minister David McGuinty, who signed the drone deal with his Ukrainian counterpart late last month at the CANSEC defence trade show in Ottawa, told reporters the Russian comments were “not unexpected” and wouldn’t affect the agreement.
“We’ve seen this before,” he told reporters. “It’s not something they only direct at Canada, they direct it at other nations.
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“We would expect the Russians to be critical because they don’t appreciate the fact that NATO is coming together to assist the country that’s in need.”
McGuinty added the Canadian Armed Forces were “monitoring things closely.”
The Department of National Defence says that under the deal, the drones will be made by the Ukrainian company Airlogix and Canadian drone maker Sentinel R&D, which is based out of Hamilton, Ont.
Both companies will make drone systems in Canada that will then be sent directly to Ukraine’s military under the joint venture.
Russia’s foreign ministry on Wednesday posted an image of a red handprint over the Canadian government’s statement on the deal, and quoted Zakharova in saying Canada “has clearly moved to a qualitatively new level of involvement in the Ukrainian crisis.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sought drone production and technology-sharing agreements with several other NATO and G20 allies, as Ukraine uses drones to strike deeper into Russian territory and push back Russia’s forces on the front lines.
In April, the Russian defence ministry published the European addresses of multiple Ukrainian drone manufacturers, warning such joint production ventures would escalate the conflict and lead to “unpredictable consequences.”
“We consider this decision to be a deliberate step leading to a sharp escalation of the military and political situation on the entire European continent and creeping transformation of these countries into a strategic rear for Ukraine,” the ministry wrote on its Telegram channel.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Western nations of encouraging Ukraine to continue the war, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin refusing to engage in peace talks unless his hardline objectives for the invasion are met.
The leaders of France, Germany and Britain met Zelenskyy in London last Sunday and backed his call for a ceasefire.
Putin told foreign reporters in St. Petersburg last week that he was willing to talk to European politicians but that they were not the right people to broker an end to the war. He suggested that U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposals for peace could help end the fighting.
U.S.-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia have largely broken down since the U.S. began its war with Iran in late February.
On Monday, Zelenskyy said he had held positive talks with U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during a stopover at an airport in Moldova’s capital, describing them as focused on ending the war.
In a social media post, he said the two sides discussed diplomatic prospects ahead of this month’s Group of Seven summit and that he had briefed the U.S. side on Ukraine’s assessment of Russia’s intentions.
—With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
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