Canada has joined more than two dozen countries in telling Russia that some crimes can鈥檛 be swept under the diplomatic carpet.
This week, Canada announced it would expel four Russian diplomats and refuse the Kremlin鈥檚 request to add extra diplomatic staff. Ottawa joined almost 30 countries that have shown the door to more than 150 Russian diplomats, many believed to be spies.
The moves are in retaliation for the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in England. British officials say they were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent that came from Russia, though Russia denies it.
As the Russians announced they would expel an equal number of diplomats, it all might seem like meaningless posturing, but the display of unity is important nonetheless. Russian President Vladimir Putin has felt free to stomp around the world the way he stomps around his own country 鈥� with no one to check him.
That impunity is not surprising, when U.S. President Donald Trump has gone out of his way to avoid criticizing Putin, and even seems to admire him. The response to the Skripal case has shown, however, that even while the American president bows to his Russian counterpart, the U.S. can show resolve.
Canada and other countries are standing up to the bully. They need the courage to stick with it, because bullies are not easily tamed.
