At some point, he predicted there will be mounting pressure to consider a “maneuver for a diplomatic solution” via a “political settlement” to bring the war to an end. “Putin now understands that they are grinding and he can’t grind forever,” said Rasiulis. įederal officials told the defence committee as much last week, which heard that Russian forces were large in number but not “modern.” ‘Grinding’ will come to a halt eventuallyĪs troops have moved in on several Ukrainian cities over the past three weeks, Putin’s offensive has been “bogged down,” said Rasiulis. Parliament last week and is set to speak to U.S. I hope you can increase your efforts and sanctions so they do not have a single dollar to fund their war effort,” Zelensky pleaded to the chamber. “Please understand how important it is for us to close our airspace from Russian missiles and aircraft.
Pointing to children dying amid the invasion, he said he is not “asking for much, but for justice and support to help us defend ourselves and save lives.” “It’s dire straits, but it’s also allowed us to see who our real friends are,” Zelensky said of the war, adding while Canada has been a “reliable partner,” many Ukrainian cities are “not protected just like your cities are protected - Toronto, Vancouver.”
Throughout his address, translated to English, the Ukrainian leader related his country’s grim predicament to how Canada would react if faced with the same acts of aggression - invoking the CN Tower in Toronto and the Ottawa airport as he asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “imagine” those sites being bombed. “The question then becomes, ‘Where do we go from here?’ And that really depends on what happens over there,” said Rasiulis. Joly, immediately after Zelensky’s address, said Ottawa would help Ukraine “defend its airspace” and deliver lethal equipment but ruled out a no-fly zone with NATO allies. NATO members have repeatedly expressed “firm” opposition to that option, leading Rasiulis to predict Ukraine’s allies will continue to “ramp up” sanctions instead. While the plainspoken Zelensky, appearing via video feed, commended a suite of sanctions targeting Putin and his inner circle in recent weeks, he said there remain some “obvious” gaps, including the lack of a no-fly zone imposed by countries like Canada that would require Russian planes to be shot down - a pitch many ally nations have been hesitant to move on in fear of escalating tensions. That is not an overstatement.”Ī retired public servant who once headed up Defence’s central and eastern Europe policy, he acknowledged that was a “blunt” evaluation but an accurate “juxtaposition” that essentially dictates “to save Ukraine, we may have to destroy the world.” That includes the potential of a nuclear war with mutual assured destruction, said Rasiulis - “which means we all die. Speaking to Parliament Today, Rasiulis, who specializes in defence and arms control issues, said Zelensky’s “case” for the move would result in NATO members going “into a war with Russia,” meaning “in effect, the Third World War.”
Ottawa was directly presented with what one expert deemed a “pivotal problem” yesterday, amid a packed House for a special address from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who renewed his calls for a NATO-enforced no-fly zone over his country.Īnd while Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly drew a “red line” on the matter in a bid to avoid inflaming an “international conflict,” signs emerged this week that Russia’s invasion is turning into a “war of attrition” - which could signal that the writing is on the wall for Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Andrew Rasiulis, a fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
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