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Still, it’s an important statement. Prime Minister Harper’s unwavering support for Ukraine has been impressive, part of a “line in the sand” approach to foreign affairs that drives the foreign policy establishment batty but signals resolve and commitment to our allies. Domestic political considerations — Ukraine is the ancestral origin of over a million Canadians — can never be discounted, but Canada’s policy here is in the service of a principle worth upholding. There is no justification, none whatever, for Russia’s interference in Ukraine, nor for its attempts to isolate the country and impede its efforts toward greater integration with Europe.

Harper’s unwavering support for Ukraine has been impressive, part of a “line in the sand” approach to foreign affairs that drives the foreign policy establishment batty but signals resolve and commitment to our allies

Anything that brings Ukraine further and more visibly into the Western orbit, therefore, is to be welcomed, sending a message that Russia’s attempt to divide and intimidate Ukraine will not be tolerated. The need to contain Vladimir Putin’s regime is indeed not limited to Ukraine. Other Eastern European countries, notably the Baltic states, also have Russian-speaking populations and fear interference, perhaps even invasion, from Russia. Hence the case for stationing so-called “tripwire” forces in those NATO-aligned states, as a deterrent to further Russian adventurism.

Strengthening economic, as well as military, ties to these countries is part and parcel of a comprehensive Western strategy in the region: to bring about a return to status quo ante borders, to discredit Russia’s attempts to assert a sphere of influence over bordering states, and by furthering their economic and political development, to tie these states more closely to the West.

Our new free-trade agreement with Ukraine lends the Canadian imprimatur to important reforms being undertaken by Ukraine to curb corruption and to make the government and its politicians more accountable to the people. It also extends a further hand of moral support to a fledgling country in continued danger, and with an ever-present need for loyal friends among the democracies.

National Post