According to state media, Moscow summoned Canadian Chargé d’Affaires Brian Ebel on Monday to tell him that Minister Joly’s comments were unacceptable.
Ms Joly said earlier this month that Western sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have paid off as the world sees effects about society and how much we see potential regime change in Russia
.
When The Canadian Press asked Joly if Ottawa now wanted regime change in Moscow, she replied that Canada was focused on punishing the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, rather than the Russians who live under his rule.
Fragile diplomatic relations
Moscow has warned that this will further damage diplomatic relations, after a slump in trade and a series of summonses from both sides over issues such as Ottawa providing security for Russian diplomats and the Russian Embassy issuing messages on social networks that target the LGBTQ+ community.
Russia also argues that interference in internal affairs violates the 1961 Vienna Convention which governs diplomatic relations.
