Earlier in the day, Trudeau told reporters Canada was unequivocal that Ukraine must defeat Russia on the battlefield and that it fully supports Ukraine using long-range weapons to prevent and interdict Russia's ability to degrade Ukrainian infrastructure.
"The statement made by the head of the Canadian cabinet comes as no surprise. We have seen it all before. From the very beginning Prime Minister Trudeau and his ministers took the most aggressive stance towards Russia in the context of the Special Military Operation, while recklessly providing support to the Kiev regime," Stepanov said.
The Russian ambassador said that Canada is continuing on this path, which is an emblematic feature of the country’s foreign policy to anticipate the intentions of its "mentors" - the United States and the United Kingdom.
"Its sole purpose is to fancy themselves by taking the anticipation lead in the race and running ahead the US-UK locomotive," Stepanov said.
The ambassador pointed out that the Canadian government falls short to have in practical and diplomatic terms any sort of impact on the outcome of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
Ottawa can only repeatedly display flashy Russophobic rhetoric as a means to offset its political impotence, Stepanov said.
Trudeau’s remarks are highly unlikely to be worth of Moscow’s attention, he added.
Stepanov said Moscow will consider the wording of Trudeau’s statement in the context of current and future Russia-Canada bilateral ties development.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the NATO member states are not just discussing the possible use of Western long-range weapons by Kiev deep inside Russia but are also deciding whether to get directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict. Such direct involvement by the West changes the nature of the Ukrainian conflict and Russia will be forced to make decisions based on the threats created for it, Putin added.