Ukrainian general applauds Canadian defence minister for talking Ukraine victory
Defence Minister Bill Blair caught the attention of a Ukrainian general on Monday when he said allies are talking about what it will take to get to "victory for Ukraine" in the war with Russia.
Blair's comments differ from the government's long-standing promise to support Ukraine throughout the conflict, "for as long as it takes." That language has been used by G7 allies as well.
The minister was speaking at a Washington, D.C., event held by the Atlantic Council think tank, where he was asked about western support for the embattled country.
Blair responded that allies need to find ways to respond more quickly to Ukraine's urgent needs, and spoke about Canada's support for multinational groups that are working to procure ammunition and air-defence systems.
"I think there's also important discussions now taking place at NATO and in Europe, involving the United States and Canada, about what are the next steps and what additional things we can do to bring this to a peaceful resolution of victory for Ukraine," he said.
Ukraine's defence attaché in D.C., Maj.-Gen. Borys Kremenetskyi, came to the microphone a few minutes later and said it was the first time he heard talk of supporting Ukraine's victory "from this political level." He also asked Blair to clarify what a Ukrainian victory means.
Blair said he changed his own language on the issue "because 'as long as it takes' is not very hopeful or even aspirational."
"In my opinion, victory is strong, secure borders for Ukraine … victory is defeating Putin, obviously, and driving him out of Ukraine," he said.
Maria Popova, an associate professor of political science at McGill University, said there is "definitely a difference" between what Blair said and what the G7 allies have been saying.
"It's something that has been discussed a lot over the last two years, the difference between sort of helping Ukraine enough to stay in the fight, which is the implication of 'as long as it takes,' and helping Ukraine actually win," Popova said.
She said supporting Ukraine's victory requires more military aid than Western allies have provided so far under a policy of "escalation management" — trying to avoid giving Kyiv too much help because it might trigger Russia to escalate further.
"When they were preparing for the counteroffensive last summer, they didn't receive long-range missiles, they didn't receive F-16s, they had no air superiority," she said.
"You would need to do that if you wanted to support them to victory."
Asked about the shift in language, Blair's office said the government's policy remains the same. His office also noted that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said similar things, including that "Ukraine must win this war."
Popova said rather than "split hairs on wording," she wants to see Canada step up its own support, noting that other countries — including Germany, the U.S., the U.K. and Denmark — are spending more.
Canada has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine and has advocated for the country's inclusion in the NATO alliance when the conflict ends.
The federal government has committed $4 billion in military assistance to Ukraine through 2029. That includes donating Leopard 2 tanks and ammunition from the Canadian Armed Forces stocks, and purchasing things like armoured vehicles and drones.
As Blair noted, some of that aid has been slow to move. Canada bought a $406-million surface-to-air missile system for Ukraine in January 2023, but it's not clear when that will arrive. It's being built in the United States and the U.S. government has not provided a timeline for its delivery.
The U.S., meanwhile, has set aside an estimated US$69.8 billion to support Ukraine's military since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2024.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½
New Federal firearm buyback program has cost $67M, still not collecting guns after 4 years
The federal firearm buyback program has cost taxpayers nearly $67.2 million since it was announced in 2020, but it still hasn't collected a single gun.
No, these viral purple apples don't exist in Saskatchewan
If something looks too good to be true, it might be. That's the message from Saskatchewan horticulturists after customers have come into their stores hoping to buy purple apple trees this month.
The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including machine-guns
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including more than 120 handguns and at least five fully automatic weapons like machine-guns.
Influencer couple denies leaving kids alone on cruise
For most people, dinner on a cruise ship is a time to relax. But when influencer couple Abby and Matt Howard decided to kick back with a dinner à deux, they ended up kicking up a storm.
PM Trudeau names Anita Anand transport minister after Pablo Rodriguez quits cabinet
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tapped Treasury Board President Anita Anand to take on additional duties as Canada's minister of transport on Thursday.
B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.
Tensions flare between Poilievre and Singh in the House after NDP says it will back Trudeau Liberals
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh got into a heated exchange in the House of Commons on Thursday, just minutes after Singh announced his party would not be supporting the Conservatives' first non-confidence motion against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.
Canadian women among those who allege Harrods boss sexually abused them
CTV News has learned there are multiple Canadian women alleging they were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the late Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed.
Local Spotlight
They say a dog is a man’s 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.
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.
Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.
A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.