乌克兰外长：俄罗斯并非存在于真空，制裁行之有效

The Ukraine's foreign minister applauded decisions announced this week by Canada and the European Union (EU) as “important” in demonstrating the international community's solidarity with Ukraine and sending a clear message to Russia.

EU Council President Donald Tusk announced on Thursday that leaders of the organization's 28 member states were “united on the rollover of economic sanctions on Russia.”

The European Union's sanctions post constraints for Russia's access to the coveted EU markets. Initially, they were put in place in 2014 “in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and deliberate destabilization of a neighboring sovereign country." The EU said the sanctions are kept under “constant review” in order that they continue to contribute toward their stated objectives.

Earlier this week, the Canadian government added Ukraine to its Automatic Firearms Country Control List, thus enabling Canadian individuals and companies to apply for permits to export certain prohibited firearms, weapons and devices to Ukraine.