(Ottawa) The Canadian Embassy in Kyiv, whose reopening Justin Trudeau celebrated with great fanfare during his surprise visit to Ukraine in early May, is still deserted.
Posted at 12:00 p.m.
Updated at 3:49 p.m.
On May 8, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Larisa Galadza, together hoisted the maple leaf in front of the building located in the Ukrainian capital.
“I was very touched to raise the Canadian flag. It is a recognition of the bravery and the capacities of the Ukrainian people who knew how to defend this city. It’s very good to see the Canadian flag being there in the streets of Kyiv, ”rejoiced Justin Trudeau.
However, nearly three months later, the offices of the diplomatic mission are deserted, as noted by a reporter from Global News. “The blinds are drawn, the doors are padlocked and a sign indicates that services are still suspended,” wrote journalist Ashleigh Stewart, photo in support.
Asked to provide details on this subject, Global Affairs Canada took more than 20 hours to respond.
“In May 2022, the Canadian Ambassador and key Canadian staff returned to Kyiv to resume high-level diplomatic actions in person,” ministry spokesperson Jason Kung said.
“Security concerns remain and as a result the Ambassador and staff are working offsite in Kyiv to ensure their safety. We continue to assess the assignment of staff to Kyiv,” he noted, referring to a full restoration of presence and services “as soon as possible.”
The Canadian Embassy in Kyiv closed its doors on February 12 due to the Russian threat. The diplomats were first installed in western Ukraine, in Lviv, before heading to Poland, where they worked for a while.
The embassies of most Western countries closed when Russia invaded its Ukrainian neighbor. Several have since resumed their activities in Kyiv, including the United States, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
“Show policy”
Opposition parties in Ottawa, who had all welcomed the reopening of the embassy, are now disappointed.
The interim Conservative leader, Candice Bergen, regrets that “although the Prime Minister announced the reopening of our embassy in Kyiv in May, it remains closed”, accusing the government of “letting[r] bring down Canadians and our allies at the most important moment”.
“As usual, the Trudeau government has stuck to beautiful announcements, beautiful images. We are in show politics, ”dropped Bloc Québécois MP Stéphane Bergeron in a telephone interview.
According to him, Canada pays in a “hyperconcern” in terms of security. “There is a way to ensure the safety of diplomatic personnel other than by taking their cliques and their slaps and by sacking their camp,” he pleaded.
His NDP colleague Heather McPherson is cautious about the security issue. “If it’s not safe, the embassy should not be open,” she first insisted on the phone.
“But if it does not open, nothing justifies a trip by the Prime Minister and his ministers to Ukraine for a photo opportunity,” said the elected official, criticizing the government for its lack of transparency with regard to the location of the embassy in Kyiv.
It was not possible to know when the diplomatic staff will return to the embassy. “For security reasons, we do not discuss the operational details of our overseas missions,” we were told at Global Affairs Canada.