President Volodymyr Zelensky was warmly welcomed by Canadian MPs as he visited the friendly country for the first time, before attending a gathering in Toronto with the Ukrainian community. Canada has promised additional military aid of more than 450 million euros over three years, which is added to the 1.2 billion already committed, while signing a free trade agreement between the two countries.
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Justin Trudeau, at the head of a country which hosts a large Ukrainian diaspora, received the Ukrainian president in Ottawa in the morning with a hug. They held a bilateral meeting then spoke to elected officials. Facing a packed Canadian Parliament, President Volodymyr Zelensky warmly praised Canada’s efforts to welcome 175,000 Ukrainian refugees and plead its cause among its allies.
For Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, Ukraine’s fight against Russia concerns the whole world and Canadians first and foremost. “ The impact is felt in both the price of food and fuel, and this war is negatively affecting families across the country and around the world. »
Before Volodymyr Zelensky took the podium, Justin Trudeau announced a new aid package for kyiv worth 650 million Canadian dollars (452 million euros) over three years. It includes some 50 armored vehicles and the training of Ukrainian pilots in F-16 fighter jets.
However, according to certain experts such as political scientist Justin Massie, the Canadian contribution to this war remains modest. “ Canada does not live up to fine words. When the Trudeau government says “we will support Ukraine as long as it takes“, probably we won’t have the means to do it. Or we’ll have to buy equipment produced elsewhere to do it. And that’s a shame for the Canadian industry that exists, which doesn’t have not seen its order of command grow since the start of the invasion. On the contrary, we maintain the acquisitions as they were planned. »
The lack of investment in the Canadian armed forces for several years partly explains the little equipment delivered to the Ukrainian ally, underlines our correspondent in Montreal, Pascale Guéricolas.
With Justin Trudeau, the Ukrainian president then flew to Toronto, where the two leaders are scheduled to meet business leaders and members of the Canadian-Ukrainian community. This is Volodymyr Zelensky’s first official visit to Canadian soil since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.