Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new package of sanctions targeting Russia at the G7 summit in France on Tuesday, saying Canada would impose measures on 162 people, entities and vessels that Ottawa describes as assets of "the Russian war machine." The announcement followed a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the margins of the gathering in Evian.
The sanctions target individuals and companies linked to Russia’s war effort as well as vessels associated with the so-called shadow fleet that Moscow uses to move oil and evade Western price caps. Carney framed the move as part of a coordinated G7 effort to keep pressure on the Kremlin even as attention at the summit was pulled toward the US-Iran ceasefire.
Carney, who attended the summit alongside fellow G7 leaders, also held meetings on its sidelines with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, as Canada seeks to broaden trade, defence and technology partnerships.
The new measures add to an extensive Canadian sanctions regime built up since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Ottawa has repeatedly expanded the list of designated individuals and entities, and has worked with allies to tighten enforcement of the oil-price cap that aims to curb the revenue funding Moscow’s war.
For Zelenskyy, the Canadian announcement reinforced a message he pressed throughout the summit: that Western support must not waver as the war enters its fourth year and as Washington’s focus shifts to the Middle East. The Ukrainian leader has sought additional air defences and assurances of continued backing from G7 capitals.
Carney travelled to France, Ireland and the summit to deepen Canada’s partnerships across trade, defence and technology, his office said ahead of the trip. The sanctions announcement allows him to demonstrate concrete action on Ukraine while the broader G7 communique remained under negotiation.
The designations carry asset freezes and prohibitions on dealings with the named parties for entities under Canadian jurisdiction. Officials said the vessels targeted would face restrictions intended to complicate Russia’s ability to ship sanctioned crude.
Canada’s move came as other G7 members weighed further steps against Moscow, underscoring the bloc’s effort to maintain a united front on Ukraine even amid divergent priorities among its leaders.