Analysis: Few options for Canada, allies as Russia-Ukraine conflict escalates
OTTAWA — Without U.S. global leadership, just a few effective ways remain for Canada and its allies to respond to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest attack on Ukraine.
Short of dispatching a NATO-led naval show of force that could escalate to all-out war, the West could still hurt Putin by imposing more sanctions, travel restrictions and curbs on Russia’s foreign financial transactions, say diplomats and analysts.
After seizing three Ukrainian ships and capturing their two dozen sailors in the Kerch Strait between Crimea and the Russian mainland on the weekend, Russia announced Wednesday it would deploy another battery of anti-aircraft missiles to the Crimean Peninsula, bolstering its hold on the region it seized from Ukraine in 2014.
The Kremlin also said it would send nine Ukrainian sailors to court to face charges while the remaining 15 linger in prison indefinitely.