Justin Trudeau’s surprise visit to Kyiv | 500 million from Canada to Ukraine

On a surprise visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Saturday the allocation of $500 million in military aid to Ukraine, including the shipment of additional missiles and ammunition.

The Prime Minister of Canada traveled to the Ukrainian capital on Saturday, accompanied Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland.

This is the second time he has visited Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

The unexpected visit comes as the long-awaited Ukrainian counter-offensive seems to have begun, according to some analysts. The professor in the department of political science at McGill University Maria Popova believes that it is even probably the reason for the passage of Mr. Trudeau, Saturday.

“This is a symbolic visit to underscore that Canada will support Ukraine as it launches its counter-offensive,” said Ms.^me Popova. This operation is “very important for the Ukrainian population and for the outcome of the war”, she adds.

In a press conference, Justin Trudeau announced on Saturday new military aid totaling $500 million. Alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he reaffirmed Canada’s support for Ukraine, which is fighting not only for its country, but “for our common future”.

Canada will notably provide 288 additional AIM-7 missiles and 10,000 rounds of 105 millimeter ammunition through a reallocation of existing funds, Trudeau said.

The Prime Minister also announced the allocation of an additional 10 million to support those affected by the collapse of a hydroelectric dam this week in the south of the country.

Since last year, Ottawa has spent more than $8 billion on war-related efforts in Ukraine.

Upon his arrival in Kyiv, Justin Trudeau made a stop at the famous St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery to pay homage to fallen Ukrainian soldiers. He also walked in the center of the capital, where the carcasses of burnt Russian tanks are exposed.

Even if the city is far from the front, missiles continue to fall on it on a regular basis, recalls the titular professor of political science at UQAM Justin Massie.

“Ukraine’s anti-aircraft defenses destroy the vast majority of missiles,” he adds. All the same: “the danger [encouru par Justin Trudeau et Chrystia Freeland] shows the importance of the support that Canada wants to give to Ukraine,” he said.

“We want peace on Ukrainian terms. Russia must completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from Ukraine,” Justin Trudeau said in a 25-minute speech to the Ukrainian parliament.

“You are the tip of the spear that determines the future of the 21st^e century,” continued the Prime Minister, receiving a standing ovation several times during his speech.

New penalties

Justin Trudeau’s visit also comes just a month before the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where the issue of Ukraine’s membership is to be discussed.

Canada is in favor of the country joining NATO when conditions permit, Justin Trudeau said on Saturday. A “rather cautious” statement from the Prime Minister, said Maria Popova.

“He could have been more proactive. He could have said that Ukraine’s accession should be done as soon as possible or talked about the summit in Vilnius to come,” she explains.

In addition to new military aid, Trudeau also announced new sanctions against 24 individuals and 17 entities for their alleged support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He said the federal government would try to seize a massive Russian-registered Antonov 124 cargo plane that Canada grounded after it landed at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport in February 2022.

The list of those sanctioned was not immediately available at Mr. Trudeau’s office on Saturday.

Along with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Justin Trudeau also issued a joint statement with a dozen points that broadly reiterate Canada’s actions in support of Ukraine. The statement mentions “the need to strengthen efforts to ensure the implementation of sanctions and to prevent and counter their circumvention in and by third countries”.

Ongoing “intense battles”

This visit coincides with the gradual intensification of Ukraine’s military activities. Moscow claimed Ukraine’s long-promised counteroffensive was already underway, while senior Ukrainian military officials confirmed on Saturday that ‘intense battles’ were underway and Russia was launching airstrikes and artillery in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions of southern Ukraine.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would deploy some of its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus next month, a move the Belarusian opposition slammed as an attempt to blackmail the West ahead of the meeting of July of the NATO military alliance.

With Agence France-Presse and Reuters