Jolie said the government has been gripped by the “extraordinary events” that have taken place in Bucha and Irpin in recent days, which are now gaining global attention as Russian forces retreat from the region.
“I have instructed my deputy minister to call the Russian ambassador to Ottawa to make sure he is presented with pictures of what happened in Irpin and Bucha,” he told reporters as he was at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
First-hand testimonies of the disaster in the two suburbs by researchers, journalists and politicians give a horrible picture of what happened. Some describe lifeless bodies dumped on the sidewalks with their hands tied behind their backs, while others report evidence of rape and torture.
Jolie said there is a “level of inhumanity” in what she has seen.
Asked how the Canadian government plans to respond, the foreign minister reiterated Ottawa’s support for the International Criminal Court in investigating Russian war crimes and the ongoing military assistance being sent to Ukraine.
He added that more financial sanctions would be announced in the coming days.
Jolie’s office once called Oleg Stepanov after Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in late February.
“I called the Russian ambassador, looked him in the eye and told him exactly what I thought Canada’s position was,” Jolie said at the time.
Ottawa is facing growing pressure to expel Russian diplomats to Canada as key allies move in that direction.
Prime Minister Justin Trindade told reporters in Parliament on Wednesday that while acknowledging that Russian representatives here were spreading misinformation about the war, their removal could prompt Russia to do the same to Canadian diplomats in Moscow who have a role to play.
“We have to weigh the negative versus the positive of having great Canadians in Moscow who give us feedback on what the Russian people are doing, are connected to civil society and understand and support Canadians and others who happen to be in Russia there. The space. time, “he said.
“We do not want to run out of resources in Moscow.”
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