The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs will fly to Ukraine where the authorities fear more and more a Russian invasion.
Mélanie Joly will head to Kiev on Sunday on a trip including stops in Paris and Brussels.
Her office has indicated that Ms. Joly’s mission will be to “reaffirm Canada’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Ms. Joly will meet Prime Minister Denys Chmyhal and Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanichyna in Kiev. She will also visit the approximately 200 Canadian soldiers on a training mission in Ukraine.
She will then travel to Paris to meet her French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian and to Brussels where she will have discussions with her Belgian counterpart Sophie Wilmès and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“The consolidation of Russian troops and equipment in and around Ukraine jeopardizes the security of the entire region,” Ms. Joly said in a statement. Russia must be deterred from continuing these aggressive actions. Canada will work with its international partners to uphold the rules-based international order and preserve the human rights and dignity of Ukrainians. »
The press release mentions that Ms. Joly “will place particular emphasis on the importance of collective security and the role it plays in maintaining the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine”.
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