By Canadian Press

Ukraine asks Canada to send message to Russia by extending military mission

Feb 25, 2019 | 2:06 PM

OTTAWA — Ukraine is asking the federal government to send a message to Russia by extending and expanding the Canadian Forces’ training mission sooner rather than later.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Shevchenko says he is confident Canada will extend the military mission, whose mandate is due to expire at the end of March.

But he says the sooner an extension is announced, the stronger the signal to Russia that Canada remains a strong supporter of Ukraine.

The Canadian Forces has had about 200 service members in Ukraine since September 2015 to help train the country’s military, which is locked in a war with Russian-backed separatist forces.

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Shevchenko is also praising Canada for continuing to support his country’s renewed bid for a UN peacekeeping mission, which Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko raised at the General Assembly last week.

The ambassador predicts Canada along with the U.S. and European Union will very soon announce fresh sanctions against Russia after that country’s forces seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and 24 sailors in November.

The Canadian Press