Relationship dossier
Canada
Russia
Relationship assessment
Sanctions and Russia’s war against Ukraine have left Canada–Russia relations severely strained.
Canada toward Russia
-75Canada has imposed sanctions on Russian individuals, entities and sectors following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Canada has also provided military assistance to Ukraine in response to Russia’s actions.
Russia toward Canada
-75Russia has designated Canada an unfriendly state and imposed retaliatory measures, including restrictions affecting Canadian officials and diplomatic relations. These actions accompany Russia’s opposition to Canada’s sanctions and support for Ukraine.
Overall relationship
-75The relationship is characterized by sustained confrontation over Russia’s conduct toward Ukraine, extensive Canadian sanctions and support for Ukraine, and Russian retaliatory measures. These factors outweigh the limited scope for continued bilateral engagement.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Canada and Russia have a severely strained relationship, driven chiefly by Russia’s actions against Ukraine and Canada’s response. Canada has imposed extensive sanctions on Russia and provided military assistance to Ukraine. Russia has treated Canada as an unfriendly state and imposed retaliatory measures. Diplomatic relations persist, but sanctions and the conflict over Ukraine dominate bilateral ties.
Areas of tension
- Russia’s annexation of Crimea and full-scale invasion of Ukraine
- Canadian sanctions on Russian individuals, entities and economic sectors
- Canada’s military assistance to Ukraine
- Russian restrictions and retaliatory measures affecting Canada
Key developments
Canada imposed sanctions on Russia following its annexation of Crimea.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Canada expanded sanctions and provided military assistance to Ukraine.
Russia designated Canada an unfriendly state and adopted retaliatory measures affecting Canadian officials and diplomatic relations.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and practical effects of bilateral diplomatic restrictions are unclear.
- The extent of remaining cooperation on specific consular or multilateral matters is unclear.