Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:

“Canada is deeply concerned by reports of Russian military exercises for ‘humanitarian intervention’ in a third country, following Moscow’s proposal to send Russian ‘peacekeepers to Ukraine’.

“Any further deployment of Russian military units to Ukraine under either a ‘humanitarian’ or ‘peacekeeping’ pretext without Kyiv’s consent would not only constitute a further act of aggression against Ukraine but would be a dangerous escalation to the crisis and completely unacceptable to Canada.

“If Russia has suddenly had a humanitarian epiphany, it can support the work of legitimate humanitarian organizations, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross. If it is concerned about the stability of Ukraine, it can immediately halt the flow of weapons and insurgents into Ukraine, call on the pro-Russian insurgents to lay down their weapons and draw down its forces from along the Ukrainian border.

“If Moscow wishes to alleviate suffering in Eastern Ukraine, it can immediately bring an end to the violence it continues to fuel through support to the pro-Russian insurgents.

“Canada will continue to work closely with its allies and partners and will take further action if Russia continues down this reckless and irresponsible path.”

src:news.gc.ca