Canada is expediting new sanctions on Russian individuals and entities amidst growing evidence that 鈥淩ussian-backed provocateurs鈥� are behind the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over Ukraine, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced Monday.
Baird, speaking in London where he is attending a conference, did not offer details about the nature of the sanctions, including the number of people or entities who will be targeted. Those details will be released 鈥渋n the coming hours and days,鈥� Baird told reporters.
He has also ordered officials to draw up plans for broader industry sanctions against the Russian Federation, but would not elaborate on what those would look like.
Canada has imposed sanctions on 110 individuals and entities since the onset of the crisis in Ukraine.
While the latest round of sanctions against individuals and entities was under consideration prior to the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 last week, Baird said the incident prompted him to expedite the preparation of broader industry sanctions.
鈥淎ll evidence indicates Russian-backed provocateurs in Ukraine鈥� were behind the incident, Baird told reporters.
鈥淭heir existence and this tragedy is a direct product of Russia鈥檚 military aggression and illegal occupation of Ukraine. President Putin鈥檚 continued support for armed groups in eastern Ukraine constitutes a threat to international peace and security.
鈥淭he international community must now turn the screw on the pressure being applied to the Kremlin,鈥� Baird said.
Nearly 300 passengers and crew died when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 went down over a field in a pro-Russia part of Ukraine last Thursday. U.S. President Barack Obama said last week that a surface-to-air missile brought the flight down, and the international community has said Russia bears some responsibility for arming separatist rebels in the region.
"Russia has armed the separatists," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told ABC's 鈥淭his Week鈥� on Sunday. 鈥淩ussia continues to refuse to call publicly for the separatists to engage in behaviour that would lend itself to a resolution of this issue."
Baird said Monday that it is 鈥渂eyond dispute that Russia has provided moral and material support to rebels in eastern Ukraine, and negligence and recklessness are important considerations when we look to assign blame.鈥�
Asked whether Moscow has been orchestrating a cover-up of what really happened to Flight MH17, Baird responded: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know whether there鈥檚 direct command and control from the Kremlin for everything that鈥檚 going on in eastern Ukraine.
鈥淭he Russian Federation has to take some responsibility for the events that led up to this unspeakable crime. The Kremlin may not have pulled the trigger, but it certainly loaded the gun and put it in the murderer鈥檚 hand.鈥�
Baird said he is 鈥渧ery, very disturbed鈥� by reports that pro-Russian forces are not carefully preserving evidence from the crash and are blocking international investigators from gaining full access to the area. Emergency workers were still collecting bodies on Monday.
Forensic investigators from the Netherlands, which lost 192 citizens in the crash, demanded Monday that a train full of victims鈥� bodies be allowed to leave the rebel-held town of Torez.
In separate statement Monday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canada is committed to continuing to pressure on the Putin regime 鈥渋n response to Russia鈥檚 provocative actions.鈥�
鈥淲e call on President Putin to immediately order a withdrawal of his troops from the Ukrainian border, to stop the flow of weapons and militants into Ukraine, and to use Russia鈥檚 influence to persuade insurgents to lay down their weapons and renounce violence,鈥� Harper said. 鈥淚t is also imperative that investigators be given full, unimpeded access to the crash site of the downed Malaysian airliner.鈥�
On Monday, Baird said there are two urgent priorities to focus on at the crash site. Securing the dignified repatriation of the victims鈥� remains, and moving forward with a 鈥渇ull and independent investigation.鈥�
鈥淭here must be justice, and to have justice there must be truth,鈥� he said.
