Canadians warned against travel to Ukraine

Canadian officials warned residents against traveling to Ukraine amid the current conflict with Russia, Reuters reported. 

“We have changed the risk level for Ukraine to avoid non-essential travel due to ongoing Russian aggression and military buildup in and around the country,” Canada said in a travel advisory statement on Saturday. 

 Russia has stationed more than 100,000 troops on the Ukraine border, sparking concerns about an invasion and prompting crisis negotiations last week with the U.S., NATO and major European countries. 

Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly is set to visit the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv next week and meet with Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmygal to affirm her country’s support for Ukraine amid “aggressive actions” by Russia. 

Joly will also travel to the western part of the country to speak to a 200-strong Canadian training mission that has been stationed in the country since 2015, Reuters noted. 

A State Department spokesperson said Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister Marta Morgan and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman pledged during a Friday meeting to continue close coordination in their efforts to de-escalate the situation. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also held a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday, in which he pledged “serious consequences” and “coordinated sanctions” should Russia invade. 

Canada, which has a sizable population of Ukraine migrants, has taken a hard line toward Russia since the 2014 annexation of Crimea, imposing punitive measures toward 440 individuals and entities involved in the operation, Reuters noted.