Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues his tour of North America with a visit Friday to Canada, which has a large Ukrainian diaspora and has supported it since the very beginning of the Russian invasion.
Late Thursday evening, President Zelensky landed in the capital Ottawa from the United States, where he was greeted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who assured him of Canada’s “unwavering support” in his conflict. against Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky, accompanied by his Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, is due to meet the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, and deliver a speech to the Canadian Parliament.
With Justin Trudeau, he must then fly to the metropolis Toronto, where the two heads of state will meet business leaders and members of the Canadian-Ukrainian community.
Canada, the last G7 country to be visited by the leader, has the second largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world after Russia with some 1.4 million people of Ukrainian origin on its territory.
This is the first official visit by the Ukrainian president to Canadian soil since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. In March, Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Canadian parliamentarians by videoconference.
“The Ukrainian people are the spearhead that, at this moment, determines the future of the 21ste century,” Prime Minister Trudeau declared Thursday evening in a press release.
He assured that Canada will remain alongside Ukraine “as long as necessary” and that the country will continue to provide “unwavering support to the Ukrainian people who are fighting for their sovereignty and democracy.”
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Canada has committed more than $8.9 billion in support to Ukraine through a wide range of measures, “including $4.95 billion in direct financial support and more than $1.8 billion in military aid.”
Ottawa has also trained more than 36,000 Ukrainian troops and provided military assistance that includes eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks, an armored recovery vehicle, 39 armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, drones and communications equipment. satellite.
“Crucial moment”
“This visit comes at a crucial time as Ukrainian soldiers courageously defend their country and freedom in Europe,” Alexandra Chyczij, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, said in a statement.
“Ukraine will win, but Ukraine needs our help,” she added. “This is a historic opportunity for Canada to support Ukraine’s victory.”
On Thursday, President Zelensky, visiting Washington, thanked United States President Joe Biden for the American aid provided and pleaded for this support to continue even after a year and a half of conflict.
Joe Biden, for his part, detailed new military aid of $325 million on Thursday, without however the long-range tactical missiles that kyiv insists on.
President Biden also guaranteed that another iconic American weapon, the Abrams tanks, would arrive in Ukraine “next week.”
The Prime Minister of Canada visited Ukraine in June and notably announced that Ottawa would participate in multinational efforts to train Ukrainian fighter pilots.