Decision clearing path for Russia to join world juniors in Alberta is 'very unwelcome,' minister says
Canada's foreign affairs minister says the decision to let Russia back into the ice hockey world championships came as a "great disappointment" on Friday, as the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine stretches toward its fifth year.
Anita Anand says 'all options are on the table' for Canada before hockey championship
Rhianna Schmunk · CBC News
·
Listen to this article
Estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Canada's foreign affairs minister says the decision to let Russia back into the ice hockey world championships came as a "great disappointment" on Friday, as the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine stretches toward its fifth year.
Minister Anita Anand said the Canadian government is still assessing the ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but said she was "not comfortable" with potentially allowing a Russian team to attend this year's World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Alberta.
"Make no mistake, this is a very unwelcome decision given the geopolitical situation, given the actions of Russia," Anand told CBC's Power & Politics. "All options are on the table and I will say, again, I greet this decision with great disappointment."
WATCH | Anand's full interview:
'Focus on the substance' of Canada and EU's partnership, not the name: Anand
38 minutes ago|
Duration
11:18
On the margins of the Canada-EU summit, Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada wants to be the bloc's first 'associate member.' Power & Politics spoke to Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand.The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) cleared the path on Friday for Russia to return to the ice hockey world championships, overturning an exclusion in place since the country invaded Ukraine in early 2022.
The court's ruling overturned International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) decisions, which had banned Russia and Belarus from international tournaments since Feb. 28, 2022. The federation, while disappointed with the decision, said on Friday it would "act in accordance" with the ruling.
This year's world juniors are scheduled for Dec. 26, 2026, to Jan. 5, 2027, in Alberta in Red Deer and Edmonton.
Ministers boycott group photo with Russian counterpart at G20
Also on Friday, the United States cancelled a traditional group photo the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Atlanta after several European officials threatened to boycott the picture over the inclusion of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
In her interview, Anand said she was going to miss the picture because she was on a flight to the Canada–EU summit in Montreal, but, had she been there, she said she would've joined her fellow ministers in skipping the picture in protest.
"It is not my preference at all to be in a picture with Sergey Lavrov," she said. She added that she ultimately sat across from the Russian minister once meetings got underway.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, centre, attends the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Atlanta on Friday. (Megan Varner/Pool/The Associated Press)
From her seat, Anand said she looked the Russian minister "straight in the eye" and told him Russian's ongoing attacks in Ukraine are "absolutely reprehensible and contrary to international law."
Some G20 countries had already expressed concern at the U.S. having invited Russia to the meetings, especially after U.S. President Donald Trump drove his administration's relationship with Ukraine to deeper lows by waiving fresh sanctions on Moscow and temporarily limiting logistical and intelligence assistance.
The Canadian government has expressed solidarity with Ukraine from the outset and the two countries declared a 100-year partnership last month.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.