Officials considered PM, Putin meeting
Documents show Canadian foreign affairs officials contemplated a one-on-one
OTTAWA— Canadian foreign affairs officials were contemplating a oneon-one meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Russian President Vladimir Putin, documents obtained by the Star show.
Warming relations between Ottawa and Moscow had senior public servants envisioning a “leaders’ level encounter” between Trudeau and Putin as recently as August 2016.
“Re-engaging (with Russia) is a complex undertaking which understandably elicits a range of views on how best to proceed,” the heavily censored documents read.
“High-level engagement between our prime minister and his Russian counterpart is an important component of re-engagement.”
The documents, stamped “secret” and obtained under access to information law, lay out the “action plan for re-engaging Russia” taken by the Liberal government under former foreign affairs minister Stéphane Dion.
They repeatedly stress Canada’s support for Ukraine and Ottawa’s opposition to Russia’s “behaviour” and “actions” in that country. Russia continues to lay claim to Ukraine’s Crimea region, an annexation viewed as illegitimate by Canada and its allies.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, Canadian officials said no such bilateral meeting is in the works. Even if public servants pushed for such a bilateral meeting, their political masters would not likely approve the move.
A one-on-one meeting with Putin could make for some difficult optics for Trudeau, politically and diplo- matically, given the ongoing probe into allegations of collusion between Russia and U.S. President Donald Trump’s election campaign.
Still, foreign affairs officials outlined several benefits to Canada resuming diplomatic relations with Moscow.
“Multilaterally, an informed and engaged Canada can bring insight and can better support a firm and co-ordinated approach among our partners and allies to address challenges posed by Russia, and to encourage Russia to contribute constructively to international peace and security, including in Syria,” the documents suggest.
It’s not clear if officials were envisioning a formal bilateral meeting, or a conversation on the margins of one of the several international meetings attended by both Trudeau and Putin, such as this week’s G20 summit.
The documents mention specific areas of focus, including re-engagement on Arctic issues, co-operation on the International Space Station, and bilateral talks on visa and consular issues.
Multiple interview requests to the Prime Minister’s Office and a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland were not immediately returned on Tuesday.
Vasily Kultyshev, the second secretary at Russia’s Ottawa embassy, refused to comment on any plans for future bilateral meetings between Trudeau and Putin.