Canada’s support for Ukraine questioned

‘When we had a chance to cripple the Russian economy, we chose not to’

On Aug. 4, Minister of National Defence Anita Anand held a news conference in Toronto where she announced that the Canadian military would resume training Ukrainian soldiers.

Since September 2015, Canada deployed combat instructors to Ukraine as part of Operation UNIFIER. During that period it is estimated that Canada trained over 33,000 Ukraine soldiers to a NATO standard of proficiency.

When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, Canada suspended the training mission and withdrew our military personnel. However, it did not take long for the world to see just how effectively the NATO trainers had reformed the Ukraine combat forces.

FIGHTING CONTINUES

In a stunning series of clashes in the opening weeks of the war, the Ukraine defenders clobbered the Russian invaders to the point that Putin’s war machine seemed cartoonishly inept.

Yet, as weeks turned into months and the war devolved into an artillery duel, the casualty meat grinder is chewing up both sides.

Thus, Canada will resume their training, only this time they will be assisting the Ukraine recruits at a base in southeast England.

Anand announced that the 225 personnel deployed will be drawn from the Edmonton-based 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. The training is to begin as of Aug. 25.

I’m not sure what level of training these Canadians mentors will provide, but to adequately prepare a soldier for a combat deployment takes at least 16 weeks.

That said, if we are bringing recruits from Ukraine to England for extensive training it would seem that no one expects the fighting to end anytime soon.

DONATED MUNITIONS

Which brings us back to the current battlefield, which is blasting through artillery ammunition at a prodigious rate. And those shells are not cheap.

As part of the $626 million worth of weapons and other military aid that Canada has provided to Ukraine were a number of M777 155mm howitzers. We also provided 20,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition that was purchased from a U.S. manufacturer and shipped directly to Ukraine.

The cost of that deal was $98 million, which means that each artillery shell costs roughly $5,000. The Ukraine military is firing between 5,000-6,000 shells a day while the Russians are firing between 20,000-60,000 rounds daily.

Russia has access to vast weapon stockpiles from Soviet-era Cold War arsenals. Ukraine on the other hand is now entirely dependent on foreign countries donating munitions from their own reserves.

European allies are wary that if the current war should widen beyond Ukraine’s borders, they will need such munitions for themselves.

Canada has been negotiating with South Korea to acquire 100,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition, which we would then donate to Ukraine. That plan was first reported in late May by the Ottawa Citizen, but to date it has not been finalized.

WAR MACHINE

Ironically, as Anand was trying to convince Canadians that we are doing everything possible to keep Ukraine in the fight, back in Ottawa Ukraine’s ambassador as well as Conservative MPS were arguing that Canada is in fact fuelling Putin’s war machine.

The focus of their criticism was the Liberal government’s decision to waive their own sanctions regime against Russia in order to return a turbine that is essential for the export of Russian gas to western Europe.

It has been an ironic reality that from the outset of Russia’s invasion, many of those European countries most vocally denouncing Putin’s aggression are also his most dependent consumers of oil and gas.

With the war-inflated increase in fossil fuel prices, western Europe has paid Russia over $100 billion during the first five months of the war.

Germany relies heavily upon Russian oil and gas and any curtailment of those imports would collapse their economy.

Hence, the Liberal government bowed to German pressure and agreed to ship the vital turbine in order to keep the Russian gas flowing.

TURBINE BACKLASH

This decision prompted a heated backlash from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy which was echoed at a parliamentary committee Aug. 4 in Ottawa by Yulia Kovaliv, Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada.

The bizarre response from Global Affairs Minister Melanie Joly was to claim that Canada was calling Putin’s bluff. According to Joly, Canada returning the turbine would not allow Russia to claim that any interruption in gas exports would be due to Canada’s interference.

In reality, I believe the vast majority of Canadians would be happy to bask in Putin’s condemnation if it resulted in shutting off the money that is fuelling his war machine.

We will train Ukraine soldiers, scour the world market for munitions to send them, and fly the blue and yellow flag in solidarity with Ukrainians. But when we had a chance to cripple the Russian economy, we chose not to.

In the end, Germany’s dependency on Russian fuel trumped our emotional support for Ukraine.