Canada’s ambassador to Russia says relations with Kremlin ‘unfriendly’ | CTV Question Period

Canada’s ambassador to Russia says relations with Kremlin ‘unfriendly’ | CTV Question Period

here to speak about the war and Canada’s relationship with Moscow is Canada’s ambassador to Russia Sarah Taylor hi Ambassador it’s good to see you thank you very much for making the time for this not at all my pleasure I do have a number of questions about the relationship with Russia and your role specifically but I I want to start off with that news that the US is ready to allow its weapons in a limited capacity to be fired uh by Ukraine into Russia what is your sense about the degree to which Putin will view that as escalation well I just let me start by saying that that as you said um Canada has taken a similar stance Minister Jolie has been very clear on that um about uh allowing uh Canadian armaments to be used uh as long in line with with our arms trade treaty um and I I think that’s a very uh important decision um and and I think to be honest it it highlights to some extent um the hypocrisy of the position that that Putin has taken um because he’s created this sort of imaginary Red Line um that that arms that were legally purchased can somehow not be used um in in a war by by Ukraine I mean there’s no there’s no rule in international law that says that that a country can’t use Weaponry that it has purchased elsewhere and meanwhile of course Russia itself is using arms that it has bought from Iran and from North Korea um and unlike Ukraine those have in fact been purchased illegally going against uh un sanctions um so again Minister ji spoke out very clearly on our concern about how Russia is violating un sanctions on North Korea by purchasing arms from them Putin never usually seems to be too bothered by being called a hypocrite or the prospect of hypocrisy do you I’ll sort of circle back to where I started do you do you think he will view this as an escalation and act in turn or do you think there is incentive on his side as well not to essentially engage in escalatory action with countries outside of Ukraine it’s it’s very hard sometimes to see in Inside the Mind and the the thinking of of President Putin and of the Kremlin um but I I I would say um two things and one is that that the Kremlin does have a bit of a track record of threatening making threats that it doesn’t necessar follow through on um so I certainly wouldn’t take uh as as gospel uh everything that that that uh the president is saying about his response um and um I I think also again that that um this sort of rhetoric um is actually part of a broader Russian uh approach a strategy on the war um and so that it’s very important uh that uh we be aware of that and that we not necessarily let ourselves be unduly constrained um of course no one wants escalation um but at the same time I I think part of the Russian strategy is is to try and convince allies of the of Ukraine that that anything reasonable that we do is somehow escalatory um so I I I I think we do need to take that uh those statements uh coming out of the Kremlin with you know with a bit of a grain of salt you have a unique vantage point that basically nobody else I’m able to talk to has which is that you can engage with Russians on these issues and you know as you pointed out it’s difficult to know what’s in Putin’s head essentially so putting that aside for a second I’m wondering you know since since your arrival during your time in Russia if you have been able to Garner a sense from Russians themselves about whether they are concerned about escalation beyond the war they’re currently engaged in I think uh or ordinary Russians I mean it’s obviously it’s rather difficult to gauge public opinion here um but I I do have a sense that that ordinary Russians are not very happy about the war would would like to see an end to it um and um of course some of the bravest voices who have spoken out against the war are now in jail um so so those voices have to some extent been been repressed but I think even for uh for just the general population that that this was not a war that they wanted or expected either um and and I think um there there would be a lot of support um for for an end to hostilities uh so it’s um again it’s a little difficult to to to judge um but but I don’t think there’s a great depth of public support for the war the one other thing I would say that really struck me in during my time here um of course one of the sad events since I’ve arrived here was the death of Alexi naal um the opposition leader who was in died in prison um and really striking to me how many Russians ordinary Russians turned out for his funeral I I went and tried to attend his funeral and there were thousands of people there um calling out his name and calling out anti-war slogans um so to me that said something about the depth of hidden opinion there is um people who maybe in normal circumstances can’t express themselves in Russia but who are really unhappy about the war at that it’s such a great example because at that moment they they they did uh essentially show it publicly right and it’s one of the only public instances that we’ve seen of sentiment like that since since the War Began do you think Putin cares uh I I think he does I I I think I mean this is a state that worries very much about domestic security um and and we can see that in the Crackdown that there has been in recent years uh domestically on freedom of speech on human rights on good governance and that along with the war in Ukraine is is the most concerning trend for us uh right now in Russia um and and is one of the the drivers for our our approach of limited engagement uh with Russia um so even if it doesn’t show on the surface I would say yes um Putin and those in G the Russian government are actually very concerned very worried about dissenting views uh within within the Russian population you mentioned our policy of limited engagement how would you describe the utility of your role to Canadians watching right now very good question I and I know there are there are some who ask why do we even have an embassy in Moscow so I would say two things the first is that um embassies and diplomatic relations are um they’re not a gift we give to friends they’re they’re they’re a tool that we use to advance Canadian interests and so in difficult circumstances it becomes all the more important to be able to have those tools uh to advance Canadian interests and then the second thing would just to give you a few examples of what we do why the embassy is here and what our function is um that obviously part of it is trying as much as we can to engage with the Russian government and to pass messages from the Canadian government to send Canadian viewpoints to uh to to the Russian government um but we also do a number of other things I mean we coordinate with uh some of our like-minded partners in working together here again to try and express views uh to the Russian government we meet with and support uh as much as we can the very brave members of civil society and Russian opposition voices that are still active here um and of course we also um support and help Canadians uh there are Canadian citizens here um who need our help counselor cases uh businesses including Canadian companies who’ve been trying to devest from Russia so those are all areas where we can provide some concrete assistance okay just just before I let you go embassador in those meetings you have had uh if you peel back the curtain to the degree that you’re able to what would you describe it is like to Canadians who are watching right now oh it’s it’s interesting in that um Russian officials are I would say are are very correct with us so the certainly with me when I meet with them I mean it’s not that we’re uh you know yelling at one another it’s it’s it’s it’s a formal and correct conversation um but it is quite Limited in in my engagements with the foreign Ministry of course my starting point has to be our very strong opposition to Russia’s illegal unjustified war in Ukraine um and and I mean the Russians term us an unfriendly country that’s the expression they use but I me from my perspective we’re not unfriendly we’re just waiting for them to change their policy um and if they were to end this war then obviously you know our relations would be on a very different footing um so that really is sort of what what dominates the conversations um but you know we also have practical matters that we need um to manage running the embassy here uh dealing with celor cases and as I said on those practical things it’s it’s quite a correct um you know acceptable uh exchange of views just just very quickly M pardon me just to pick up on something you said there do do you really think even if they ended the war that the relationship uh could be on a different footing I mean you you mentioned some of the issues with civil society and democracy the way in which they treat their own citizens it’s it’s not just what they’ve done to Ukraine is it not absolutely and are we have grave concerns about about human rights Democratic development all and and freedom of expression in in in Russia and and those are are things that have been longer term Trends so it’s absolutely not to say that that if the war ended that suddenly we’re we’re we’re friends again and everything goes back to the way it was um but just to say that that I think the war in Ukraine is at the moment um a primary barrier um to a change in the relationship and that we wouldn’t even be able to contemplate um moving to a different place until the war ends and until Ukraine’s sovereignty uh and and borders are and territorial Integrity are respected understood Ambassador I appreciate you making the time for the conversation thank you so much not at all my pleasure it’s good talking to you you as well that’s kened is ambassador to Russia

Canada’s ambassador to Russia Sarah Taylor discusses current tense relations with the Kremlin amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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