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Canada’s foreign affairs minister says the decision to let Russia back into the ice hockey world championships comes as a “huge disappointment” on Friday as the country’s current invasion of Ukraine stretches into its fifth year.
Minister Anita Anand said the Canadian government was still assessing the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling, but said she was “not comfortable” with potentially allowing a Russian team to participate in this year’s world junior ice hockey championship in Alberta.
“Make no mistake, this is a very unfortunate decision given the geopolitical situation, given the actions of Russia,” Anand told the CBC. Power & Politics. “All options are on the table and I will say again that I welcome this decision with great disappointment.”
On the sidelines of the Canada-EU summit, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada wants to become the bloc’s first “associate member.” Power & Politics spoke to External Affairs Minister Anita Anand.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday cleared the way for Russia to return to the ice hockey world championships, an exclusion in place since the country invaded Ukraine in early 2022.
The court’s ruling overturned the decisions of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which banned Russia and Belarus from international tournaments starting on February 28, 2022. The federation, while disappointed with the decision, said on Friday that it would act “in accordance” with the ruling.
This year’s World Juniors are scheduled for December 26, 2026, to January 5, 2027, in Alberta in Red Deer and Edmonton.
Ministers boycott group photo with Russian counterpart at G20
Also on Friday, the United States canceled a traditional group photo from the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta after some European officials threatened to boycott the picture over the inclusion of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
In her interview, Anand said she would 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 have joined her fellow ministers in skipping the picture in protest.
“It is not at all my preference to be in a picture with Sergey Lavrov,” she said. She added that she ended up sitting across from the Russian minister after the meetings began.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, center, attended the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta on Friday.(Megan Varner/Pool/Associated Press)
From her seat, Anand said she looked the Russian minister “straight in the eye” and told him that Russia’s continued attacks in Ukraine were “absolutely reprehensible and contrary to international law”.
Some G20 countries have already expressed concern that the US invited Russia to the meetings, especially after US President Donald Trump’s administration pushed its relationship with Ukraine to deeper depths by waiving fresh sanctions on Moscow and temporarily limiting logistical and intelligence assistance.
The Canadian government has expressed solidarity with Ukraine from the beginning and the two countries declared a 100-year partnership last month.
