MOSCOW, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said his country is ready to tighten sanctions against Russia in case the ceasefire in the east of Ukraine is not continued, Canadian CTV News broadcaster has reported.
“Obviously we want to see a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine. Let's give a political solution a chance. Obviously if more provocation and more negative aspects emerge, we would advocate strongly for additional measures [against Russia],” Baird said Monday following the meeting with the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton in Ottawa.
A number of western countries, including Canada, have already imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia over its alleged meddling into Ukraine’s internal affairs.
Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the Ukrainian crisis.
On September 5, the representatives of Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics of Luhansk and Donetsk agreed to a ceasefire at the meeting of the Contact Group on Ukrainian reconciliation in Belarus' capital Minsk.
On September 7, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the European Union is ready to review new possible sanctions if a truce between the Kiev government and independence fighters in southeastern Ukraine holds.
On September 8, the European Union officially adopted a new round of sanctions against Russia over its alleged participation in “destabilizing eastern Ukraine.”
According to the document, the new measures will come into force in the next few days pending the assessment of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the peace plan.
