Canada bans import of Russian crude oil, bars Canadian banks' transactions with Russian Central Bank

It has also banned the import of Russian crude oil, which Canada has not imported since 2019.

“Even if Canada has imported very limited quantities these past years, this measure sends a powerful message,” Trudeau said, noting that the crude oil sector has benefitted Russian President Vladimir Putin and his oligarch allies “greatly.”

“President Putin’s actions blatantly violate international law and threaten international peace and security. In response, we intend to ban crude oil imports from Russia. We continue to do everything we can to support Ukraine and are united with allies in holding Russia to account for its unprovoked and unjustified invasion,” Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources said in a news release.

Measures to help Ukraine during the devastating attacks by Russia were also announced by Trudeau including fast-tracking the application program for Ukrainian refugees seeking to flee to Canada, dispatching lethal weapons to Ukraine via Poland.

In addition to the first package of more than $7 million worth of lethal equipment announced by Ottawa two weeks ago that included handguns, machine guns, and ammunition, the delivery of the latest cache of weapons was completed via two successful shipments, a military spokesperson confirmed.

In the conference, Joly told reporters that the latest cache of lethal weapons will be sent to Ukraine via Poland.

“We will be able to make sure to send lethal aid to Ukraine. My role in this is to make sure that this aid gets in the arms of Ukrainian soldiers that are fighting for their life,” Joly said.

“That’s exactly why I been able to get an agreement from Poland to make sure that that delivery could be done through their borders,” she added, noting she would travel to Poland Tuesday notably to “see with my own eyes” what is happening in Ukraine from the border. 

Trudeau's government also asked the country’s independent telecommunications and broadcast regulator, Canadian airways to consider removing Russia’s state-sponsored network, Russia Today from Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

“In Russia, President Putin continues to block independent media and uses media controlled by the state to propagate falsities and propaganda about his unjustified war. We will not allow such misinformation to spread in Canada,” Trudeau said.

“The Russian government is now experiencing the severity of our coordinated sanctions. It is increasingly clear that President Putin has made a grave miscalculation. Today, the ruble plunged to record lows and the Russian stock market was forced to close,” Trudeau said.

During the same press conference, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the importance of the fight to defend the Ukrainian capital Kyiv was similar to other legendary battles.

“There are moments in history when the great struggle between freedom and tyranny comes down to one fight in one place, which is waged for all humanity,” Freeland said.

“In 1863, that place was Gettysburg. In 1940, it was the skies above Britain. Today, in 2022, it is Kyiv,” she added.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)