星空传媒

Skip to main content

Canada closes airspace to Russian aircraft, will send $25M in non-lethal aid to Ukraine

Share

Canada has closed its airspace to Russian aircraft, effective immediately, as the federal government pledges more equipment for Ukraine.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra that Canada's airspace will be closed to all Russian aircraft operators.

"We will hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked attacks against Ukraine," he said in a tweet.

Canada's move comes as other European nations banned Russian planes from entering their own airspaces, including Germany, Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Luxembourg, over the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has since closed its airspace to many of those same countries, as fighting between its forces and Ukraine continued for a fourth day Sunday.

Prior to Canada's announcement, Russia's flagship carrier Aeroflot operated multiple flights per day through Canadian airspace en route to the U.S. and elsewhere.

The United Kingdom suspended Aeroflot's foreign carrier permit on Thursday.

Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly on Sunday afternoon announced that at the request of Ukraine's deputy prime minister, Canada will send $25 million worth of protective equipment to the country.

This includes helmets, body armour, gas masks and night vision gear.

Canada is working with Poland to ensure the equipment is transported to Ukraine, Joly said.

"And let me be clear," she added, "we will send more."

Joly also reiterated Canada's intent to "suffocate" the Russian regime, a comment she made previously on CTV's Question Period on Sunday.

Defence Minister Anita Anand said Canada would provide additional airlift support through the Canadian Armed Forces to be used by NATO and for the delivery of the aid, with the first aircraft departing for Europe on Monday.

The Armed Forces also is working with the Communications Security Establishment to provide Ukraine with cybersecurity intelligence, Anand said.

"Through these tumultuous times, we must unite as a country and redouble our efforts to support our allies and trusted international partners," she said.

Canada has joined its allies in imposing a number of sanctions on Russia, targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov specifically.

Trudeau also said Canada would support the removal of Russia from the digital payment and messaging network SWIFT, which connects thousands of banks worldwide.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke to Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shymal , the Prime Minister's Office said.

Along with sending 460 additional troops to join the approximately 800 already in Europe as part of NATO, Canada also has provided Ukraine with a $500-million loan and $7.8 million worth of lethal equipment and ammunition.

Anand confirmed that the lethal aid has been delivered in full. She said a Canadian combat mission in Ukraine is not on the table at this time.

Canada also has helped train about 33,000 Ukrainian soldiers.

With files from CTV News, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press.

CTVNews.ca 星空传媒

BREAKING

BREAKING

Three men were injured after a man armed with a knife entered a Montreal-area Islamic cultural centre Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

The parents of a teenager who died after allegedly consuming the poisonous products of a Mississauga man are now suing him, as well as several doctors involved in her care.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Stay Connected