Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled Sunday to Irpin in the suburbs of kyiv, a city devastated by intense fighting between the Ukrainian and Russian armies, before its occupation in March by the Russians, announced the mayor of the city.
“(Justin Trudeau) came to Irpin to see with his own eyes all the horrors that the Russian occupiers have done to our city,” wrote Oleksandre Markouchine on Telegram, accompanying his message with photos taken with Mr. Trudeau in the destroyed city. .
He was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland.
Justin Trudeau’s visit to Ukraine had not been announced.
“The Prime Minister is in Ukraine to meet President Zelensky and reaffirm our unwavering support for the Ukrainian people,” his services said.
Mr. Markouchine wanted to “sincerely thank” the Prime Minister for “the support Canada is providing to Ukraine today”.
“We believe in continued cooperation between our countries in the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities after our victory,” he said.
Irpin, at the northwestern gates of kyiv, was the scene of heavy fighting between Russians and Ukrainians in the early days of the Russian invasion in late February.
The Russian army quickly took control of this city which had 60,000 inhabitants before the war, which it then occupied throughout the month of March.
kyiv has since accused the Russian forces of having committed massacres there – just like in the neighboring town of Boutcha – after the discovery of dozens of corpses wearing civilian clothes in these localities occupied and then abandoned by the Russian army.