(OTTAWA) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky updated Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday on new ceasefire talks with Russia.
Posted at 6:52 p.m.
Mr Zelensky told Russian media ahead of planned talks in Turkey that Ukraine was ready to declare neutrality, which would be a concession at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The latter wants the Kyiv government to abandon its ambition to join the NATO military alliance.
But Mr Zelensky made clear that Ukraine would need guarantees from Russia, which invaded the country on February 24, displacing millions of people.
On Twitter, the Ukrainian president said he had discussed cooperation with Justin Trudeau on “sanctions advocacy and pressure”.
He also talked about Russia’s crimes and how the negotiation process was going.
“I am grateful for the willingness to consider additional macro-financial assistance for Ukraine,” Mr. Zelensky said.
Ahead of talks with Russia, he also said he was open to compromise on the future of Ukraine’s Donbass region, which the Kremlin has claimed as its territory and where eight years of fighting before the recent Russian invasion have killed 14,000.
The Russian advance on the capital appeared to be stalling as the mayor of Irpin, a suburb northeast of Kyiv, said his town had been liberated from Russian forces. Earlier this month, images of dead Ukrainian civilians, including a mother and two children, emerged from Irpin.
“The Prime Minister and the President discussed the ongoing Russian military aggression and its devastating effects on the people, infrastructure and economy of Ukraine,” Prime Minister Trudeau’s office said in a summary of the call with Mr. Zelensky.
The two leaders discussed the next steps, including humanitarian, financial and military support that Ukraine needs, as well as new sanctions against Russia, it is also mentioned in the press release. But this does not mention President Zelensky’s latest negotiating positions with Moscow.
“Prime Minister Trudeau reiterated Canada’s unwavering support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” Mr. Trudeau’s office also detailed.
Energy issues
Earlier Monday, Canada’s prime minister argued that while the Russian invasion may drive up energy prices, it continues to provide the momentum needed to get the planet to develop greener sources of energy.
“The world’s determination to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas is turning into an increased urgency for the transformation of our energy mix towards lower carbon emissions in our energies in the years to come,” Trudeau said at an event in southern Ontario.
His comments came as the G7 pushed back on Russian demands for oil and gas access to an energy-dependent Europe.
Germany’s energy minister said the G7 had no intention of caving in to Russia’s demand that countries pay for natural gas exports in roubles.
“All G7 ministers were in full agreement that this (would be) a clear unilateral breach of existing contracts,” Robert Habeck told reporters in Berlin on Monday.
The decision was made after a meeting on Friday between officials from Canada and its G7 allies.
Last week, Vladimir Putin said he would force “unfriendly” countries to pay for Russian natural gas in rubles and set up a system to allow them to buy Russian currency. This intention was widely seen as an attempt by President Putin to prop up the rouble, whose value has plummeted under the weight of Western sanctions.
“There is a real opportunity to understand that Vladimir Putin’s terrible mistaken decision to invade a peaceful and neighboring country is giving the world, yes, difficulties right now around energy prices, around food insecurity . But also all the more motivation to support each other, to support families as we completely reduce our dependence on oil and gas,” Trudeau said Monday.
He said he discussed helping Europe deal with its dependence on Russian energy supplies, including during his visit to Germany earlier this month when he and Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke about greater cooperation on the development of hydrogen as a clean energy source.
While Canada and its Western allies have tightened the noose around the Russian economy with sanctions and other trade measures since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the ban on Russian energy in Europe has problematic, because Europe receives 40% of its gas and 25% of its oil from Russia.
With the Associated Press