Making Russia Suffer

"I cannot say whether Canada has done enough, but I am sure Canada is able to do much more and that is what your prime minister will discuss here tomorrow. The reputation of Canada is quite positive here. Yours was the first government to react to human rights violations by the previous regime."
"Because of what was stolen, Russian ships of every kind in the West should be put under the permanent threat of arrest. Canada should seize any Russian aircraft that land in Canadian territory."
"[Ukrainians want to see measures that] made Russia suffer economically and politically and hurt its reputation in the world. This is necessary because we are not the only country at risk. The world has been made less safe and there must be punishment for those who upset the international order."
Oleksandr Sushko, Institute of euro-Atlantic Integration

"Together with our international allies, our government is taking a strong stance in our support for Ukraine."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper

"This has been the cancer tumour of the democratization process in Ukraine. Canada could do something concrete and different such as teaching how public bodies should control finance rather than the Soviet system. Part of that would be basic principles in areas such as anti-corruption."
"What is repeated non-stop on the issue of Russia and Crimea is that what Russia did looks unacceptable and has been said to have been unacceptable, but it is still accepted."
"The West does not believe that Russia will do anything else, so they do not want to harm economic relations with Russia. They have basically accepted this by not putting in place very tangible sanctions."
"[Ukrainians feel that the West has let them down from] an overestimation on the Ukrainian side about what could be done. Many thought that all the West had to do was to call Putin and tell him to stop it. But that was not possible."
Vera Nanivska, International Centre for Policy Studies, Kyiv

Canadian Prime Minister became the first western leader to visit Ukraine since Russia's annexation of Crimea. On its own Canada is certainly limited in its response, beyond the imposition of sanctions on Russia to express Canada's and the international community's outrage at Russian involvement in Ukraine's affairs and the breakaway and absorption of Crimea by Russia. Canada can certainly help to mentor Ukraine's military.

Which will be somewhat of a change from the United States' refusal of Ukraine's interim prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk's request that his country be supplied with arms by the U.S. at this juncture in its travail, fearing a further invasion by Russian troops and a needed military response. Doubtless, President Obama refused on the basis of 'protecting' Ukraine from its own rash actions, defying and defending itself from Russia's manoeuvres.

A Ukrainian soldier smokes a cigarette next to a machine gun at the Belbek air force base not far from the city of Sevastopol, in Crimea, on March 21, 2014 (AFP Photo/Viktor Drachev)

Ukraine is looking for action to match the words of its supporters in the West. Canada condemned last Sunday's Crimean referendum and it condemned the Kremlin's absorption of Crimea, leading Canada to impose sanctions to match those imposed by the United States, and to advance a travel ban on a select number of Russian President Vladimir Putin's cronies.But to become militarily involved? Not even remotely likely.

Crimea and Sevastopol formally joined Russia on Friday when President Putin signed into law an agreement that the Russian Duma approved with the government of Crimea. And though Mr. Putin pledged to go no further, no one quite believes he has no eye to acquire eastern Ukraine for Russia. Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and other Baltic and east European countries are understandably nervous about the status of their own minority Russian citizens whom Russia might decide at any time to 'protect' with the movement of troops.

A Ukrainian soldier looks at an armoured vehicle moving on a road towards a position not far from the border between Ukraine and Russia, in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine, on March 21, 2014 (AFP Photo/Sergey Bobok)

Ukrainians are disappointed in the West's milquetoast response to Russia's land grab. The travel bans and freezing of bank accounts and other sanctions imposed by Europe are being mocked by Russia. This is not the response that Ukraine thought would result from President Putin's aggravated assault on Ukraine territory. On his part President Putin banned several U.S. politicians from travel to Russia, but doesn't appear to feel at the moment that much more need to done in tit-for-tat.

A man waves a Russian flag as people look at fireworks in the center of the Crimean city of Sevastopol on March 21, 2014 (AFP Photo/Viktor Drachev)

He is obviously not losing sleep at night over his luke-warm isolation from the international community over his bold and speedy acquisition for Russia of Ukrainian territory, even given Russia's heritage claim of right-of-ownership. It is that claim that keeps Mr. Putin fixed to his goal and satisfied that he has achieve it in part, and justified in proceeding on to additional claims, should he feel so disposed.

How the international community is disposed to react is of little concern to him at the moment. Since from all appearances unless proven to the contrary, their own economic and energy interests have dissuaded them from any rash actions in expression of their dismay at the turn that events have taken, in transforming Russia back to its traditional stance of aggression and entitlement in eastern Europe, and the consequences be damned.