'All Options Are Always On The Table' With Russia Sanctions: Canada Minister of Foreign Affairs

Anita Ananda, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke with host David Gura, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss her country's relationship with NATO, how Canada is willing to support Ukraine with increased sanctions on Russia and more.

Mark Carney and Volodymyr Zelenskiy sought to rally global support for the return of thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, an issue that may resonate with the US administration even as it pulls back on financial and military aid for Ukraine.

The leaders of Canada and Ukraine co-hosted an event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly that focused on the nearly 20,000 children forcibly removed by Russia. The matter has previously caught the attention of First Lady Melania Trump, who wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin in August urging him to end the war in order to protect affected children.

“Putin has stolen Ukrainian children,” Carney said at the event on Tuesday. “To lose their child is every parents’ nightmare. For the people of Ukraine, it is a horrifying reality.”

Canada’s prime minister said Russia has targeted vulnerable kids such as orphans or those living in poverty, and its soldiers have even barged into classrooms and rounded them up.

Russia is facing accusations of starting this practice when the war began in 2014 and ramping up the abductions after its full-scale invasion in 2022. Some children were forcibly separated from their parents, while others were taken after their caregivers were killed or captured. Still others were seized from state institutions. They have been relocated to Russia or occupied parts of Ukraine.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of war crimes. Some children have reported they were subjected to Russian propaganda and maltreatment while in the country.

Russia has sought to erase the children’s Ukrainian identity by restricting their access to the Ukrainian language and history, imposing Russian citizenship and limiting access to alternative sources of information, the Canadian government said in a background document.

“Thousands and thousands of our children are victims of Russia’s double crime,” Zelenskiy said. “Russia first abducted them and deported them, and now it tries to steal everything they have inside – their culture, their character, their bond with family, and their identity.”

Zelenskiy also announced a tracing mechanism to collect data about the displaced children. “Russia hides the truth, so this work is crucial,” he told the audience of foreign leaders and ministers. “And I urge you – please, in every sanctions package, increase the pressure on those Russian politicians, officials, judges, propagandists and others involved in child abductions and the attempt to ‘reprogram’ their minds.”

Ukraine will co-host the next summit on this issue in Brussels with the European Commission. President Ursula von der Leyen said at Tuesday’s event: “If you look at all the horrors unleashed by Russia’s war, none cuts deeper than the abduction of children.”

Russia denies it abducts Ukrainian kids. Vladimir Medinsky, who led Russian delegation talks with Ukrainians in Turkey in June when both sides discussed the issue, accused Ukraine of “creating a show for kind-hearted Europeans” and said Russia is returning children when their families are found.

--------

Watch Bloomberg Radio LIVE on YouTube

Weekdays 7am-6pm ET

Follow us on X

Subscribe to our Podcasts:

Bloomberg Daybreak

Bloomberg Surveillance

Bloomberg Intelligence

Balance of Power

Bloomberg Businessweek

Listen on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app:

Apple CarPlay

Android Auto

Visit our YouTube channels:

Bloomberg Podcasts

Bloomberg Television

Bloomberg Originals