Former Ukrainian president says war can still be avoided but urges accelerated Canadian aid

Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko says Canada should accelerate any plans to send military aid to his country, expressing hope that further escalation can be avoidedeven as Russian troops remain amassed at the border.

"We have a full, open and huge Russian aggression," Poroshenko said in an interview airing Sunday onRosemary Barton Live.

"The expanding of the scale of this war, we can avoid that. We can use [diplomacy]," he told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.

Tensions in Ukraine have been running high for months, with an estimated 100,000 Russian troops near the shared border. Russia recentlypresented a list of demands to the United States and allied powers thatinclude a permanent ban on Ukrainian membership in the NATO military alliance.

Poroshenko suggested that the way to dissuade any aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin isto do the opposite: present a plan for Ukrainian and Georgian membership in NATO this summer.

WATCH | Former Ukrainian president on current crisis with Russia:

Former Ukrainian president says war can still be avoided but urges accelerated Canadian aid

3 years ago

Duration 9:58

Petro Poroshenko, the former president of Ukraine, said in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live that Canada should accelerate any plans to send military aid to his country, expressing hope for a peaceful solution even as Russian troops remain amassed at the border.

Russia denies that it is threatening Ukraine with invasion, saying it is looking to negotiate with the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organizationaround a stable international security framework. Putin has said Russia feels threatened by NATO expansion in eastern Europe.

"I can officially assure you that Russia is not going to invade Ukraine. Russia doesn't want to invade Ukraine," Russia's ambassador to Canada,Oleg Stepanov, told CBC'sPower & Politics onFriday.

Top diplomats from the U.S. and Russia met in Geneva on Friday, and while they did not reach an agreement to defuse the crisis, they did indicate that talks would continue.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is taking steps to fortify itself against possible attack, including byexpanding a branch of its military called the TerritorialDefence Forces, essentially its army reserve.

"I think people are getting ready for different scenarios, and we're ready to fight for every house and every street if necessary," Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine's former ambassador to Canada, said in an interview onRosemary Barton Liveon Sunday.

WATCH | Former Ukrainian ambassador discusses need for aid:

Former ambassador weighs in on diplomatic talks and escalating tensions in Ukraine

3 years ago

Duration 6:49

Ukraine's former ambassador to Canada, Andriy Shevchenko, speaks to CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton about the escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine. He says he's grateful for Canada's support but that more is needed.

Shevchenkolauded the vocal support from NATO allies but called the fact that negotiations were ongoingbetween Russia and the U.S. "disturbing," arguing itwas an instance of blackmail rather than genuine diplomacy.

"We would like to see a genuine diplomatic process, in good faith, on how we can make Russia leave its neighbours alone and how we can make Russia start respecting international laws," he said.

Poroshenko told Barton that there were two keys to negotiating with Russia: Don't trust Putin, and don't be afraid of Putin.

Internal unity needed to face Russia:Poroshenko

Abillionaire businessman, Poroshenko became president of Ukraine in 2014 afterthe country's pro-Russia government led by Viktor Yanukovychwas removed from office following popular protests.

During his presidency, Ukraine fought an ongoing, protractedconflict with pro-Russian separatist forces in the Donbasregion of the country's east.

Poroshenko lost the 2019election toVolodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's current president. The former president now faces charges of high treason accused of involvement in coalsales that allegedly helped finance those separatist forces.

He denies the charges and calls them politically motivated. Poroshenko still leads his party, European Solidarity, as a representative in the Ukrainian parliament.

Despite the ongoing political conflictbetween Poroshenko and Zelensky, the former told Barton that internal unity was needed in the face of a Russian threat.

"This is the only thing which should unite the nation, including me and Zelensky," he said.

'Accelerate' Canadian aid

Ukraine has pushed the international community, including Canada, for additional aid especially military aid for months. Canada, which has long been one of the country's top international aid donors,also has some 200 troops in Ukraine providing training.

On Friday, the federal government announced a $120-million loan as a first instalment of assistance. Two sources told CBC News that Ottawa isalso considering shipments of small arms and other military aid.

Poroshenko said on Sunday that Ukraine iscounting on Canada, and he hoped aid would come "as soon as possible" and that Ottawa would "accelerate this process."

Speaking in a separate interview on Sunday, International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan said the loan was in response to a specific requestby Ukraine. This issue was the "top priority" for the federal government, he said, and additional aid was being considered.

Poroshenko emphasized that he was thankful to Canada for its contributions and help to Ukraine so far, and in the eight years since the 2014 revolution. He also reiterated that Ukraine seesweapons shipments as purely defensive.

"The only purpose is to defend Ukraine. If Russia crosses our border, crosses our touch line and makes the very crazy decision to attack and kill Ukrainians, we should increase the price for that," he said.

Shevchenko, the former ambassador to Canada, also outlined a three-pronged requestfor aid from Canada: additional weapons and munitions, the continuation of the training mission Operation Unifier and additional sanctions against Russia.

WATCH | Russian ambassador discusses current crisis with Ukraine:

Talks will 'probably' collapse should Russia not get what it wants in Ukraine crisis: Russian ambassador

3 years ago

Duration 13:43

If Russia does not get what it wants, Russian Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov says diplomatic talks would "probably" collapse and Russia will be "forced to seek other counter measures to keep the balance of security interests in Europe untouched." He denied Russia intends to invade Ukraine.

You can watch full episodes of Rosemary Barton Live onCBC Gem, the CBC's streaming service.