Canada summons Russian ambassador to answer for Ukraine missile strike

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) - Canada's foreign affairs minister summoned the Russian ambassador Wednesday to answer for a missile strike in Ukraine that killed dozens of civilians.

The missile hit an apartment building in the city of Dnipro on Saturday, killing at least 45 people, including six children.

"We do not accept the sheer brutality of Russia's recent attacks against civilians," Melanie Joly told a press conference.

The strike on the nine-story building also destroyed 72 apartments, leaving 400 residents homeless, while 23 units received extensive damage, according to the Dnipro City Council.

Joly said Canada and its allies will hold Russia responsible for attacks on civilians in Ukraine.

"We will ensure that those responsible for the horrific scenes in…Ukraine answer (for) their crimes," she said.

Russia denied the Dnipro attack, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying his country does not target residential buildings. He blamed a Ukrainian air defense missile for the attack.

Russia rained cruise missiles on Ukraine and Ukraine's military said it does not have the capability to intercept the type of missile that struck the nine-story apartment building.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the strike on the apartment building "despicable, abhorrent and completely unacceptable."

He said last week that Canada will purchase a CAN$406 million (US$300 million) surface-to-air missile defense system for Ukraine.

Joly made her remarks at a joint press conference in Toronto with British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who is visiting Canada before heading to the US.

Joly said she also planned to take the ambassador to task for anti-Semitic remarks by Russia's foreign minister. Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that the West's attitude toward Russia was similar to Adolph Hitler's "final solution."