Why security guarantees is a ‘slippery slope' for potential Ukraine-Russia ceasefire deal: Fraser
Maj. Gen. (Ret'd) David Fraser on the push for a Ukraine-Russia ceasefire agreement as Russia continues their attacks.
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Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Letters to the editor, Aug. 20: ‘Complaints about the inconvenience caused by the Air Canada strike … inconvenience was the point'
Re 'Trump's Ukraine talks show how the global order is changing' (Aug. 19): Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump's art of the deal has been nowhere to be seen. To add insult to Ukraine's injury, a wanted war criminal was welcomed on U.S. soil akin to a normal head of state deserving of respect. Meanwhile, Russia continues its indiscriminate attacks against Ukraine's critical infrastructure and civilians. By bending to Mr. Trump's ill-considered manner of 'negotiating,' the West, including Canada, is debasing further its values and ceding international leadership to thugs. All this to say that power rules, not fairness and justice. That the United States is no longer a force for good in the world is depressing. As a middle power, Canada, sadly, cannot do much but watch with disgust. Stéphane Lefebvre PhD; former federal strategic and intelligence analyst; Ottawa In 1994, the Budapest Memorandum was signed. In exchange for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons, Russia, the United States and Britain provided security assurances, including promises not to use force against its sovereignty and borders. But Russia walked into Crimea in 2014 and neither the U.S. nor Britain did much. There were ongoing skirmishes in the Donbas region from 2014 to 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine again. The U.S. and Britain provided some weapons, but only ever just enough to keep the fight going. It is now two decades that tiny Ukraine has been trying to force mighty Russia to leave its territory. I feel ill when hearing about the need for Ukraine to give up territory. Why? I was not surprised Russia broke its Budapest promise, but now the U.S. has as well. Is there any paper signed by an American president that is worth anything? Marilyn Dolenko Ottawa Ukraine should reduce its dependence on Western aid and move swiftly toward self-sufficiency. Bill Browder, former major investor in Russia and longtime Kremlin critic, has urged the West to empower Ukraine by seizing frozen Russian state assets. Yet the G7, controlling about US$300-billion, has agreed only to use the interest as collateral for a US$50-billion loan. I find legal and financial objections to seizing the full assets overstated. Russia's invasion is indisputably illegal, the resulting devastation undeniable. And the financial system has already absorbed the freeze with minimal disruption. If the United States retreats, European countries should seize their $200-billion-plus share and transfer it to Ukraine with full discretion to pursue a just and lasting peace. Patrick Bendin Ottawa Re 'Path to peace?' (Letters, Aug. 19): A letter-writer concludes that reparations were not imposed on Germany after the Second World War 'to create a client state for U.S. industry and to prop up an ally in the face of the Soviet Union.' George Kennan, the U.S. diplomat and architect of postwar Soviet containment policy, recognized that the war-devastated Soviet Union posed no immediate military threat, but rather would try to take advantage of devastated Western European economies to insinuate itself into that sphere. France and Italy, for example, had large communist parties ripe for Soviet influence. Hence the Marshall Plan, perhaps the most successful U.S. foreign aid program ever implemented. In this sense, Western security considerations trumped narrow U.S. economic self-interest. Kathryn Vogel Toronto Re 'Air Canada set to resume operations after flight attendants' strike ends' (Online, Aug. 19): In response to complaints about the inconvenience caused by the Air Canada strike and at the risk of dealing in the obvious: Inconvenience was the point. Craig Sims Kingston I'm from New Waterford, a coal-mining town on Cape Breton famous for unionization and its fight for workers' rights. My grandfather was a coal miner. I was lucky: I got an education and a good job with Air Canada. Many think I live a life of luxury because I travel for a living. The reality is I've missed weddings, anniversaries and most holidays. There is higher risk of some cancers because of my work environment and a lack of sleep throwing off my circadian rhythm. I'm not asking for pity. I'm grateful to Air Canada, but it's not about me. It's about the working conditions for our entire group. We cannot sacrifice our futures for expediency. As it turns out, being miles underground or up in the air are not dissimilar. The one constant is that I'm from Cape Breton, and I vow to fight the good fight. In solidarity. Blair Boudreau Toronto Once again, Canada's unwillingness to become more globally competitive within an industry punished the Canadian consumer. If some foreign airlines were able to transport travellers within the country on at least select routes to begin with, we would have seen how quickly collective agreements could be reached in the first place. Stephen Flamer Vancouver Re 'To recognize aboriginal title is not to abolish property rights, but to uphold them' (Opinion, Aug. 16): The trial judge refused to let British Columbia argue 'bona fide purchasers for value' on behalf of third-party private landholders, whose interests were thus unfairly unrepresented at trial. The Section 35-based legal concepts of 'the honour of the Crown,' 'consult and accommodate' and the sui generis Crown fiduciary duty were only developed after Section 35 was enacted in 1982. Yet the trial judge applied them retroactively to all Crown conduct going back to 1853, a long period of Canada's development as a modern nation when these legal concepts were unheard of. The city of Richmond, B.C, puts the value of its private and public municipal infrastructure at $100-billion. There are only about 8,000 citizens of the Cowichan Nation, thus raising the prospect of each one claiming windfall compensation of more than $12-million each. The above and many other reasons compel Canada, the province and Richmond to appeal this judgment. Peter Best Sudbury Re 'A land-claims ruling shakes the foundation of property rights in B.C.' (Aug. 15): 'Indigenous groups have laid claim to vast swaths of the province, including land occupied by millions of homeowners.' No doubt similar thoughts have occurred to First Nations, which might be phrased thus: 'Settler groups have laid claim to vast swaths of the province, including land occupied by millions of people.' The sanctity of title is based on the seizing of unceded traditional territory by the Crown and Hudson's Bay Company. The foundation for property rights in British Columbia, as interpreted by settler law for less than 200 years, is indeed tenuous. I find the judge correct in her ruling. I do not support the appeal by the provincial government. Charlotte Masemann Victoria Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@
CTV News
6 hours ago
- CTV News
Ukraine security guarantees remain unclear as peace talks with Russia advance
Watch U.S. President Donald Trump stated he will not deploy troops to Ukraine, the question of Ukraine security guarantees fell on other nations including Canada.
CBC
8 hours ago
- CBC
White House brokering Ukraine-Russia talks
The White House says it is working to secure a meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, which both have agreed to, while plans continue to create security guarantees for Ukraine.
