The Canadian authorities has confirmed its plans to grab and switch to Kiev an Antonov-124 transport plane, owned by Russia’s Volga-Dnepr air service. The announcement comes amid Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s shock go to to Ukraine.
The seizure of this “essential asset” is the “first step of the Authorities of Canada’s motion beneath the asset seizure and forfeiture regime and is designed to place further strain on Russia,” Ottawa mentioned in a press launch on Saturday.
The An-124 Ruslan had been chartered by the Canadian authorities from a Russian air service to ship a cargo of Covid checks from China again in 2022. It landed in Toronto on February 27, mere hours earlier than Canada closed its airspace to all Russian plane, and has been grounded ever since.
“From the start we’ve got stood on the facet of the Ukrainian individuals, and applied a NOTAM towards all Russian-owned and operated flights into Canada,” transport minister Omar Alghabra mentioned in an announcement. “We stand with Ukraine and can take any and all needed actions, together with this seizure, to place strain on President Putin.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a shock go to to Kiev on Saturday, alongside his Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, throughout which he referred to as Ukraine the “tip of the spear that’s figuring out the way forward for the twenty first century.”
“We wish peace on Ukrainian phrases,” Trudeau claimed, saying CA$500 million (US$375 million) extra in Canadian navy assist, however providing no particulars on how the brand new funding can be spent.
Since February 2022, Canada has already dedicated some $8 billion to assist the Kiev authorities’s battle towards Moscow, whereas imposing a number of rounds of sanctions towards Russian people and entities.
With the Volga-Dnepr added to the Canadian listing of sanctioned entities a number of months in the past, Ottawa will now “seize the asset and handle it in accordance with federal laws,” the assertion mentioned. “Ought to the asset finally be forfeited to the Crown, Canada will work with the Authorities of Ukraine on choices to redistribute this asset,” it added.
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