SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon, everyone. Bonjour, tout le monde.
Secretary of State Joly, Mélanie, as always, I am pleased to welcome you back to the State Department, to the United States, and it is a great pleasure to continue our ongoing collaboration on so many issues that connect our countries.
As is appropriate for such a close friend and ally, the discussion we had today touched on an incredibly wide range of critically important issues that have a real impact on the lives of our citizens, both Canadians and Americans, as well as people across globe.
We, of course, discussed our united response to President Putin’s war on Ukraine, including his latest shameless effort to legitimize his attempted land grab in Ukraine. No one is fooled by what Moscow has done. The world saw the way Russia conducted these so-called referendums, where Russian occupation forces went door-to-door and forced Ukrainian citizens to cast their votes at gunpoint. The whole process surrounding these fake referendums was a complete farce.
The United States does not, and never will, recognize any of the Kremlin’s claims to sovereignty over parts of Ukraine that it has seized by force and now purports to incorporate into Russia. As I said last week in the UN Security Council, this territory is and will remain Ukrainian, and Ukraine has every right to defend its country, to defend its people and to take back the territory that Russia has captured from it.
Canada and the United States, like so many nations around the world, see eye to eye on this: these are just the latest in a long line of actions by Russia since it launched its war of aggression against Ukraine that violates international law, not the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity which underpins the entire international order so necessary to maintain peace and security around the world. And all this shows the Kremlin’s complete disregard for the rights and will of the Ukrainian people.
I also made clear that when Russia took this step, the United States and our allies and partners would impose swift and severe costs on individuals and entities – inside and outside Russia – who provide political or financial support for illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory. Today we have just done it in coordination with the EU, and Canada is also taking similar steps.
We are also issuing a clear warning, supported by G7 leaders: We will hold to account any person, entity or country that provides political or financial support to President Putin’s illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory. In support of this commitment, the Department of Finance and Trade is issuing new guidance on increased sanctions and export control risks for entities and individuals inside and outside Russia that in any way support the Kremlin’s fake referendums, alleged annexation and occupation of parts. of Ukraine.
We are also taking action today in the UN Security Council to hold Russia accountable for the fake referendums and the alleged annexations. If Russia blocks the Security Council from carrying out its responsibilities, we will ask the UN General Assembly, where every country has one vote, to make it clear that withdrawing borders by force is unacceptable. Every country has an interest in condemning these moves.
As UN Secretary-General Guterres said this week, and I quote, “[The] Charter of the United Nations is clear. Any annexation of a state’s territory by another state as a result of the threat or use of force is a violation of the principles of the [United Nations] charter and international law.”
The United States, Canada and our other allies and partners will continue to assist Ukraine in its struggle to defend its territory against Russian aggression. With new security assistance that we announced just this week, the United States has now committed approximately $16.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine going back to January 2021.
At our meeting, the Secretary of State and I discussed ways to continue to support Ukraine and our European allies as they prepare for a difficult winter ahead. Our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, its independence, its territorial integrity is unwavering.
The United States and Canada will also continue to work together at the G7 to help the populations hardest hit by President Putin’s election war, including by getting life-saving aid to the people hardest hit by the unprecedented global food crisis. And we will continue to make crystal clear that we and our NATO allies are prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory.
The United States and Canada also stand together to respond to virtually every major global challenge that has an effect on our people, just as we have for 150 years.
Canada is a deeply valued ally and partner across the Arctic region in the Arctic Council, where we work together to promote sustainable economic growth while combating the climate crisis. In the coming weeks, the United States will release our Arctic Strategy to advance these goals, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with Canada to make them a reality.
Like the United States, Canada is both an Atlantic and a Pacific nation, and we saw that last week at the General Assembly, where Canada joined both the Blue Pacific partners and the Atlantic Strengthening ministerial meetings that we held. These initiatives will advance our shared goal of a prosperous, resilient and secure maritime region in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
We are working together to end the HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis epidemics. Here again, we saw Canada’s leadership on display at the General Assembly with the Prime Minister’s extraordinarily generous contribution of more than $900 million to the Global Fund in its seventh replenishment.
Canada, Mexico, and the United States are partners in the USMCA, through which we strengthen supply chains, support strong protections for labor rights, and accelerate the transition to clean energy across an increasingly integrated North America.
Since December, our countries have partnered to mobilize more than $294 million in international commitments for Haiti. We greatly appreciate Canada’s leadership in launching the UN Basket Fund to improve citizen security and strengthen law enforcement in Haiti—an effort the United States is proud to support. In these extremely difficult times for the Haitian people, we call on more partner nations to contribute to this vital cause.
We also applaud Canada’s leadership in launching the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations. This brings nations together to send the clearest possible message that the arbitrary detention of foreign nationals is unacceptable and governments that engage in this practice will face consequences.
We discussed ways to deepen what is already a remarkably vibrant commercial and trade relationship, to increase our collective competitiveness, to create good-paying jobs for people on both sides of our border. Of course, the US and Canada are already each other’s largest trading partners, with over ten – $2 billion, excuse me, in goods and services passing between us every single day. But we know that we can do even more together, for the benefit of our people.
One way to do that is through the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides more than $368 billion for clean energy technologies like electric vehicles and battery components that are made in North America. It is the largest, most ambitious climate investment in our country’s history; it gives us a chance to deepen our economic integration and expand inclusive economic opportunity for our people.
Another way is through the CHIPS and Science Act, which will provide funding to develop resilient semiconductor supply chains in North America, which are critical to so many of the goods we depend on, from smartphones to dishwashers to cars. Our semiconductor supply chains are already deeply connected to US-based companies such as IBM and Skyworks that conduct research, development, design and packaging in Canada.
It is hard to think of two countries that work so closely together and across so many areas as Canada and the United States. And it’s not just because our destinies and interests are so closely linked, but it’s because we approach these challenges and opportunities from a place of shared values. More than ever, we are in this together.
So, Mélanie, as always, thank you for visiting – but, most importantly, thank you for your partnership, thank you for your friendship on a professional level, on a personal level. We are the closest of business partners. It’s something I really appreciate and am grateful for every day. It’s good to have you.
FOREIGN MINISTER JOLY: Thank you. Thank you, Tony. Thank you, Tony. It is indeed a pleasure for me to be here for my second visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But before we start, I also want to say a few words as Canadians observe the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
(Via Interpreter) On this day we honor the children who never returned home, the survivors, their families and their communities.
(In English) The road to reconciliation is long and painful. It is one we must choose to walk with indigenous people every day.
(Through Interpreter) Dear Tony, as I say every time I come here with you, it’s wonderful to – I’d like to host you in Canada soon, I hope.
(In English) Canada and the United States, as Secretary Blinken mentioned, share a special, unique relationship. Of course, our two countries are bound by geography and history. We are friends, allies, trading partners because we know we are stronger together when we naturally stand together. We invest in each other’s successes. We have fought side by side on numerous battlefields because our way of life, our democratic values, were threatened.
Vladimir Putin will stop at nothing to consolidate his power and assert his dominance. The vote to integrate Ukraine’s territories into the Russian Federation is a crude attempt to formalize President Putin’s conquest through political theater. As Canada and NATO allies have said, the pre-orchestrated results of these referendums have no legitimacy and will never be recognized. Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia remain Ukrainian territory.
Canada today imposed sanctions on 43 new oligarchs, the so-called governing body of Kherson, and 35 Russian-backed officials in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
(Via Interpreter) So today Canada will impose new sanctions against 43 oligarchs, against the so-called leaders of Kherson, 35 high-ranking officials of Russia in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
(In English) Brave women across Iran are currently on the streets protesting the tragic killing of Mahsa Amini. Canada salutes them and we want to say to everyone that we stand with them in saying that women’s rights are human rights.
(Via Interpreter) The Iranian regime has a long history of systematic violations of the people’s rights, and they continue to persecute the people.
(In English) This regime has also shown a blatant disregard for human life with Flight PS752. Canada will sanction the so-called morality police and its leadership, and Canada will hold Iran accountable for its crime.
As we fight for human rights, Minister Blinken and I also discussed our efforts to strengthen international peace and security, including through deeper engagement in the Indo-Pacific. We share a vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. We both believe in strengthening our diplomatic and economic ties with the region and the resilience of our global supply chains. And the secretary just mentioned the CHIPS legislation here and the initiative in particular, and of course we want to make sure that as the United States moves forward, we also provide our great expertise and — in terms of critical minerals, in terms of extraction, but also manufacturing.
Canada is pleased to continue working as a full member of the Blue Pacific Partnership. Together with Secretary Blinken, we were together in the UN General Assembly, on the fringes of the UN General Assembly, to talk about this very new initiative.
Now several weeks ago, President Biden spoke to Americans at Independence Hall in Philadelphia and said that democracy and equality are under attack and that Americans are in a battle for their souls – for the soul of their nation. I know these words resonate deeply with Canadians. Canada is not immune to the same threats to our democracy, to rampant misinformation on social media, to feelings of distress toward our institutions. But our resolve in the face of these challenges has never been stronger. We will remain resolute in our defense of democracy, and we will remain united – united in our vision for a more free and democratic world, united in our pursuit of a more just and equal society, and united in our determination to preserve our institutions for future generations.
(Via Interpreter) Because by remaining united, there are no limits to what our two nations could accomplish together.
MODERATOR: Thank you. We take our first question from Shaun Tandon with AFP.
QUESTION: Thank you. First of all, Mr. Secretary, just on behalf of the press corps, my condolences on the loss of your father. I wanted to share it with you – wanted to express my condolences on behalf of the Foreign Office’s Correspondents’ Association.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you. Thank you.
QUESTION: Thank you. Can I follow up on a few points today about Ukraine and Russia? To both of you: President Putin, he mentioned today, said the West was to blame for what happened on Nord Stream. I know the US has already rejected it. Do you have any assessment of what actually happened? Could this be a violation of a — could this invoke Article 5 for NATO? And what does that say about security in the Baltics? Is there a need to increase security there?
And President Zelenskyy, in response to – in response to what happened today, called for rapid membership in NATO. Do you have any opinion on that? Do you think that all countries should be – in NATO should be involved?
And if I could just follow up on one thing that the Secretary of State mentioned. You mentioned democracy. Brazil has elections on Sunday. I wonder if you two had any conversations about how to approach it, when to recognize the results, whether there are any concerns about maintaining the stability of democracy in the second most populous country in the Western Hemisphere. Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: (In French.)
FOREIGN MINISTER JOLY: (In French.)
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Shaun, thanks. Firstly, on pipelines, we have been in very close contact with our partners in Europe – especially with Denmark and Sweden. We support the investigation into these attacks on the pipelines and are working to determine who is responsible. But I don’t want to get ahead of those investigations; that the work is in progress. I think everyone is well aware by now of something that Mélanie alluded to more broadly, but specifically for Russia, which is the outrageous disinformation and disinformation campaigns that it engages in. So I really have nothing to say to the absurd assertion by President Putin that we or other partners or allies are somehow responsible for this, but we will get to the bottom of what happened and we will share that information as soon as we are — as soon as we have them. But I don’t want to get in front of the investigation that’s going on.
Regarding NATO and Ukraine, our position is and remains clear and the same as it has been. We strongly support NATO’s open door. We strongly support bringing into NATO countries that seek to join and that can enhance NATO’s capabilities. There is a process to do that and countries will continue to follow that process.
And when it comes to Brazil and the election, of course we don’t get into another country’s election. I can just say in general that Brazil has very strong democratic institutions, including very strong electoral institutions, which they have demonstrated time and time again, and we expect that to be the case in the upcoming elections this weekend.
FOREIGN MINISTER GLAD: To add to that, of course we support the NATO and EU statement on the sabotage of the pipelines. We believe that it is a very important European infrastructure. Therefore, I also had the opportunity to talk to my Danish and Swedish colleague, and of course we also talked about that.
As for the referendums themselves, yes, you heard what I said about this being Putin’s political theater, but frankly, no one is buying it. So we are reaching out to many countries in the world to make sure, as the UN Secretary General mentioned, that it is clear that this is in violation of international law and that we stand strongly against that violation.
With regard to NATO – i.e. Ukraine’s accession to NATO – our position has not changed. It has been the same, which is basically that we believe in NATO’s “Open Door” policy, and we have always been in favor of Ukraine joining NATO.
And finally on Brazil, obviously my comments are the same as the Secretary’s in that we don’t want to interfere in Brazil’s elections, but what I can say is, Tony, and I’m going to the OAS next week. We will be in Peru and therefore look forward to engaging with – we hope – our future counterparts if that is the case. And of course we will have strong discussions about the future of democracy in our hemisphere.
MR PATEL : Then let’s go to James McCarten with the Canadian press.
QUESTION: Thank you very much. Thank you both for doing this today. Regarding Nord Stream, Secretary and Minister, regardless of responsibility, the energy supply situation in Europe is obviously bad and will only get worse as a result. I wonder if you two talked at all today about what your two countries can do either independently or collectively to help relieve some of that pressure. And is there a heightened sense of danger in light of that, if we’re talking about delivering supplies — sending supplies across the sea, is it as simple as that, or is it more complicated now as a result of these attacks?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: First, I think it’s important to make it clear that these pipelines—that is, Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2—were not pumping gas into Europe at this time. As is well known, Nord Stream 2 never came into operation. Nord Stream 1 has been shut down for weeks due to Russia’s weaponization of energy.
What we have done – and we have also been working on this together for many, many weeks as we saw the Russian aggression in Ukraine and as we saw the ongoing weaponization of energy from Russia – is to work very closely with European partners as well as countries around the world to ensure that there is enough energy on world markets. Therefore, we have increased our production significantly and made liquefied natural gas available to Europe. And we are now the leading supplier of LNG to Europe to help offset any gas or oil it loses as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
We have been working to release oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to also ensure that there is oil in the markets and to help keep prices down. We have engaged with the EU and established a task force months ago to work directly with Europe on ways to reduce demand to help get through the winter, as well as to seek additional supply and find ways to accelerate the transition to renewables even as we get through this challenging period. So all that work is underway.
My own feeling – and I mentioned this the other day – is, look, there is a lot of hard work to be done to ensure that countries and partners get through the winter. Europe itself has taken very significant steps to both reduce demand but also look at ways to pursue the transition to renewable energy at the same time. And ultimately, this is also a great opportunity. It is a great opportunity to once and for all remove the dependence on Russian energy and thereby remove from Vladimir Putin the creation of energy weapons as a means to advance his imperial plans. It is very important and it presents a huge strategic opportunity for the coming years, but in the meantime we are determined to do everything we possibly can to ensure that the consequences of all this are not borne by the citizens of our countries or for that matter around the world.
FOREIGN MINISTER JOLY: So to add to that, we’ve actually increased our production, and so we’re increasing our production exported to the United States to eventually be sent to Europe. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister for Natural Resources, has also been in close contact with his counterpart on this.
We also look ahead where Canada can really make a difference is through our new Kitimat LNG facility, which will be able to deliver LNG from 2025 and thus increase production, lowering prices. This will also be useful for our European friends. And as mentioned, when Chancellor Scholz was in Canada recently with his Vice-Chancellor, we are also working with the Germans and many other European allies to find solutions for the next few years when it comes to renewable energy and the very important, significant investment in a hydrogen plant in Stephenville, Newfoundland is also part of this plan.
So we want to be there in the short term with the existing context that we know. We will be there in the medium term and we will be there in the long term. We are clearly very concerned about the energy security situation in Europe and that is why we are in solution mode.
PATEL: Joel Gehrke, Washington examiner.
QUESTION: Hi, thanks for both of you doing this. I want to start with a question about Iran and then turn to Ukraine. Sir. secretary, Amnesty International says that collective action — that’s the quote — “collective action by the international community [that goes] beyond … statements of condemnation,” end quote, is needed to stop the violent crackdown on protests in Iran. And now an American citizen has been killed in Iraq, the State Department has confirmed, and the IRGC has used ballistic missiles and other munitions in a series of attacks in Iraq. Does the US have an answer to that beyond statements of condemnation?
With regard to Ukraine, this week we saw a senior Ukrainian intelligence official say that there is a very high risk that – that Russia will use a tactical nuclear weapon in some way. His recommendation in light of that was to call for anti-missile systems from the United States. Do you think there are — are there weapons that the United States can provide to mitigate the threat of a tactical nuclear attack? Do you think the prudent response to such a nuclear threat is to try to deter by upgrading Ukrainian armaments or to keep US military aid below a threshold that might be provocative?
And then, of course, Canada and the US both participated in the Copenhagen conference last month, which was focused on how to provide long-term support to the Ukrainians. We seem to be in for a longer – much longer – conflict than anyone might have expected. As you consider options for long-term support, do you think the West needs to help Ukraine transition to training on more advanced NATO systems, be it tanks or fighter jets or something else? Or should the focus be more on financial support, perhaps to increase defense capabilities – defense industrial production in the Czech Republic and elsewhere that can produce old Russian-style equipment that they are more familiar with? Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: There’s a lot there. (Laughter.)
FOREIGN MINISTER JOLY: It’s actually more—one—than one question.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Boy. Let me take a stab at it first –
SECRETARY BLINK: — Mélanie, and then turn. First, regarding Iran, starting with the protests, the simple truth is this: Mahsa Amini should be alive right now, and her death in itself is a profound violation of human rights in Iran, and for that matter everywhere. When we see the Iranian government shooting at peaceful protesters and then cutting off people’s access to the global internet, we are not only seeing this. We react. You saw some of the actions we have already taken. We singled out the so-called Morality Police, the institution responsible for her death, as well as seven other Iranian security officials involved in human rights abuses.
At the same time – and we talked about this earlier this week – the Treasury issued new licenses that will facilitate the supply of communications equipment, software and hardware to Iranians to allow them to better communicate among themselves and also with the rest of the world. And all this is going on. We will continue to look for ways to support those who engage in peaceful expression in Iran, as well as to take action against those responsible for the most oppressive human rights abuses imaginable. There is also a growing chorus of condemnation around the world, including in international institutions, something that the Secretary of State and I discussed today.
In terms of the rocket attacks that took place, this was primarily an attack on Iraqi sovereignty, which we have seen time and time again come from Iran. We support our Iraqi and our Kurdish partners in the face of this aggression. You have of course seen international condemnation of Iran’s actions, including from the Iraqi government itself, and we have always been clear that Iran neither can nor will act with impunity.
We have demonstrated that we are willing to use a wide range of tools at our disposal to counter Iran’s malign and destabilizing activities in the region. We have done so in the past and, if necessary, we will continue to do so in the future. This includes penalties. It includes other financial measures. It includes diplomatic pressure. We have used every tool in our arsenal as needed, and when it comes down to it, President Biden has not hesitated to act to protect our citizens as well as our service members from attack. So we are monitoring the situation very closely and of course we are coordinating with our partners, especially in the region.
When it comes to the rhetoric we’ve heard from President Putin about nuclear weapons, you heard us speak very directly to this at the United Nations this week. This kind of loose talk about nuclear weapons is the height of irresponsibility, and it is something we take very seriously. We are watching very closely to see if Russia actually does anything that suggests they are considering using nuclear weapons. To date, we have not seen them take these actions, but we also know that Russia is engaged in a terrible—a terrible brutalization of Ukraine. And so the threats they make, we take very seriously. As for President Putin’s intent, I won’t speculate on what’s on his mind. I can just tell you that we are planning for every possible scenario, including this one.
As for the long-term support for Ukraine, this is a very important issue and a few things I think are worth emphasizing. At every step of the way in the Russian aggression against Ukraine, we have worked to ensure that we give the Ukrainians what they need to effectively defend themselves against the aggression. As we know, it started before the aggression, when we saw it possibly coming. While we tried to do everything we could to stop it, to prevent it, we worked to help prepare the Ukrainians for the aggression and worked with allies and partners to do that.
Going back a year ago—Labor Day a year ago—the president made his first withdrawal of defense equipment to Ukraine. We did another important one just before Christmas – again, well before the Russian aggression. It put the very things in Ukrainian hands that they needed and used so effectively – Stingers, Javelins to repel the aggression directed at Kiev in the attempt to take over the whole country. It failed largely because of the courage of the Ukrainian people, but also because we helped them get ready.
Now since then, what we’ve done is make sure we adapt and adjust as the nature of the aggression changes to make sure they have what they need – but not just what they need so that they can use it effectively and maintain it. Increasingly, you see standard NATO systems going to Ukraine to deal with the ongoing Russian aggression. Part of that is training, and there’s training going on right now outside of Ukraine to make sure that when we deliver these systems to them, they’re able to effectively use them. And I think going forward, what Ukraine wants and needs is a strong defensive and deterrent system that makes it less likely in the future that Russia will act aggressively against Ukraine, and that if it does, Ukraine very well prepared.
So while we are currently working to make sure they have what they need right now, we are also working with them in the medium and long term to make sure they have what they need to have an effective defense and effective deterrence against Russia. I won’t get into what that entails, but it is a very important issue that we are dealing with right now.
FOREIGN MINISTER JOLY: So commands a long answer, I think. So on Iran, of course, Canada stands with these strong women in Iran who are peacefully protesting in the streets of Tehran and across the territory. That is why I also mentioned our steadfast support for them when I was at the UN General Assembly and I gave the national address for Canada. This is why we also sanction the so-called morality police, which the USA does – and key leaders of this morality police. But I must say that there are many things on the table. And we have done a lot, but we must do more and want to do more. Canada has also spearheaded – a UN resolution before the General Assembly ensuring that we condemn Iran’s human rights abuses in general. And that is why we will continue to offer and present that leadership to the United Nations along with many nations, obviously with the United States.
On the issue of Ukraine in general, of course — and the issue of nuclear threats in particular, you’ve heard the secretary, you’ve heard Jens Stoltenberg, head of NATO, and many of us say that nobody wins when it comes to nuclear. So of course it is unthinkable, but we have to be ready and we are having conversations, especially within the G7, on this very issue.
Also on the question of whether this – the referendums and Russia’s so-called annexation of territories, we obviously do not recognize that. We do not want to give any kind of legitimacy to it, and therefore this will not change our military strategy. And that’s why we’re going to continue to send weapons, and I would say where Canada’s expertise is primarily is training Ukrainian officers. We have been doing this since 2014. Before the war, we had already trained 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers. So we are working with the UK on this and we are training many of the Ukrainian officers from the UK. Thank you.
MR PATEL : Last question, Alex Panetta, CBC News.
QUESTION: I just wanted to ask a quick follow-up on two of the things that came up earlier in this news conference. And (via interpreter) could you answer partially in French? It would be much appreciated.
(In English) The first involves NATO and the accession process. That – when Sweden and Finland applied earlier this year, it went very quickly. Would you expect Ukraine to come through this process so quickly? Or, given the level of complexity and risk, are we talking years rather than months in this particular case?
And another is on eastern Ukraine. The weapons systems that the NATO countries are supplying to Ukraine, we can deduce from your previous answer that nothing will change in the way the war is going on in eastern Ukraine. But may I ask you if there are any instructions, other instructions on whether Western weapon systems can be used on the eastern Ukrainian territory?
SECRETARY THE BLINK: Merci pour cette question.
(Through interpreter) I can only repeat that NATO’s door will remain open, including for Ukraine. There is a well-known process for countries seeking to join NATO, a process that Ukraine, among others, continues to pursue if they so desire, Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.
(in English) When it comes to Finland and Sweden – as you know, these countries were both very long-standing NATO partners, who in many ways have been de facto allies for a long, long time, working in very close coordination with NATO, with very advanced militaries that are already fully interoperable with NATO, with equipment that is also fully compatible with what NATO countries have, and of course strong democracies that have been partners as part of the EU and with us for many, many , many years. So I think that explains the speed with which this process has moved forward.
When it comes to the aggression in eastern Ukraine and southern Ukraine, and – but especially now, the alleged annexation of territory – we have been very clear about this. And as you just heard Mélanie repeat, it has no validity, no legitimacy, no legal standing. This territory remains Ukraine’s. It will always be part of Ukraine. We will never recognize the alleged annexation of this territory. And as I said, Ukraine has every right to defend its entire territory, to defend the people who are there, and to take back territory that was illegally seized from it in the first place. And our support to Ukraine will continue, and that support can be used as Ukraine sees fit throughout the country to defend its territory and, if necessary, take it back.
FOREIGN MINISTER JOLY: So as for Sweden and Finland, of course we appreciate the fact that they joined NATO. We were the first country in the world to ratify the accession. Because they are also Arctic countries, it was in Canada’s interest to speed up ratification.
And as I mentioned before, we believe that Ukraine should be part of NATO. This has been our position for more than a decade now and we believe in the “Open Door” policy.
(Via interpreter) In French. It is obvious that it is important for us that Sweden and Finland join NATO. Why then? Because these are also countries that are part of the countries in the Arctic. So it was necessarily in Canada’s interest to ensure that they would quickly join NATO. In fact, we were the first country in the world to ratify their accession. Now, regarding Ukraine as such, we have always had an “Open Door” policy. Our position has always been that NATO[1] should become a member of NATO.
(In English) This will change our military strategy. How will we respond? I have answered that question. Obviously, like the Secretary – as Tony mentioned, we do not recognize Putin’s words. He is spreading lies again. This is part of political theater. No one buys it. And that’s why we’re not going to change the course of our actions, and that’s why we’re going to continue to work with the United States on this, and all of our European counterparts. And certainly, we must continue to do more.
(Via Interpreter) As I said in English and as I had answered earlier, we will not recognize the legitimacy of the referendums and of course Putin’s annexation. For us, this is political theater, a staging by President Putin, who continues to lie to his people and to the world. There is absolutely no legitimacy to what he did. Therefore, we will not change the course of things. We will not change our actions. On the contrary, we will redouble our efforts for the Ukrainian people because we believe that we are in the period at the moment when more than ever we need to be together with our Ukrainian brothers.
Sir. PATEL: Thank you, Your Excellencies.
