Before being received as a hero in the House of Commons on Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky met the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon. The latter taught him a word in Inuktitut: ajuinnata (pronounced aye-you-i-na-ta).
“It means: don’t give up,” the President of Ukraine explained to the Commons. Stand tall, against all odds. AjuinnataCanada. Ajuinnata, Ukraine. »
One year and eight months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Zelensky’s entire message to Canada – and the rest of the world – is contained in this one word. “Can we give up?” No. Can we allow our identity to be erased? No. »
We must stand our ground against the Russian aggressor, insisted the president. There is no other way out for Ukraine. The survival of our people depends on it. Above all, don’t abandon us.
Looking serious in his eternal khaki outfit, the former actor turned head of state at war spoke to an audience won in advance in Ottawa. The packed House of Commons warmly applauded him on several occasions.
He left with promises of millions and new sanctions against Russia. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, supported by all his political adversaries, told him exactly what he wanted to hear: “Our government will stand with you for as long as it takes. »
Unfailing support that we can only rejoice in. Unfortunately, if we take a step back, the picture seems a little darker. While military breakthroughs are rare on the ground, we cannot say that Volodymyr Zelensky receives such a triumphant welcome in all capitals. Its international support is gradually fading. This is worrying for the future.
“I need ammo, not a taxi!” » The quote is said to be apocryphal, but no matter: it has passed into history. She helped make Volodymyr Zelensky a symbol of resistance and courage in the face of Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime.
It was day 1 of the invasion. Russian tanks were then rolling towards Kyiv. The president categorically refused to be exfiltrated. The world thought it was finished. He would be executed, it was a matter of days, maybe hours…
PHOTO SERGEI SUPINSKY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Firefighters and rescuers in an area heavily damaged by a Russian strike, in the Kyiv region
On day 577 of the invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky is still there.
And he still needs ammo.
Against all odds, Ukraine resisted. It recaptured large swaths of territory invaded by Russian troops. As the soldiers retreated, the world was horrified to discover the scale of the war crimes they had committed there. Civilians shot, tortured, imprisoned, forcibly converted into good Russian citizens. Women raped. Libraries and museums looted from top to bottom. Thousands of children kidnapped, indoctrinated, trained to hate their own people.
After all this, Ukraine is not ready to cede an inch of ground to Russia. She is not ready to negotiate with an attacker who openly seeks to annihilate her identity.
His only chance of survival is to arm himself to the teeth.
Justin Trudeau said he hoped peace would soon return to Ukraine. But not at any cost. “It cannot be a false peace based on a compromise imposed by the aggressor,” he admitted. A lasting peace must make it clear that borders must be respected, no matter the size of the neighbor’s army. »
After a year and eight months, we are seeing a certain fatigue with the war in Ukraine, a weariness that its allies must resist, like Canada.
Poland, a crucial ally since the start of the invasion, for example announced that it would cease its military aid. President Andrzej Duda compared Ukraine to a person who, by drowning, risks taking his saviors with him.
In the United States, support is also crumbling, especially among Republican ranks. Some elected officials wonder when this war will end, if it ever ends. They say to themselves that the billions granted to Ukraine would perhaps be better invested elsewhere. The population is starting to believe it: a majority of Americans now believe that Washington should tighten its purse strings.
Some countries criticize Volodymyr Zelensky for his apparent lack of gratitude. We give him billions and he always asks for more! And then, he has this irritating habit of drawing up an exhaustive list of everything he lacks to defend himself…
We can imagine that a president who has been counting the dead every day for 577 days would come to forget his good manners. “When we ask the world to support us, it is about saving the lives of millions of people,” he pleaded emotionally in the Commons. Women, men, children, ordinary families, entire communities, entire cities…”
That said, Volodymyr Zelensky has learned his lesson. He expressed his gratitude on numerous occasions to Canadian parliamentarians. He even made a point of saying it in French: “Thank you, Canada. »
We want to answer him: you’re welcome, really. This support is not charity, it is an investment. The outcome of this war will have profound repercussions for the world. If we let Russia swallow Ukraine, it will not stop there. Elsewhere, other dictatorships will conclude that they risk nothing by imitating it.
Ukraine is a bulwark that protects us from a much more sinister world, but this bulwark will only hold with the unwavering support of its allies. Ajuinnata, President Zelensky. And thank you.