Ukraine conflict: Zelensky travels to Canada after meeting with suspicious US politicians.
Canada is one of Kyiv’s most ardent supporters in the battle against Russia, and it is expected to announce during the visit that it will provide more weaponry to Ukraine.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will pay his first visit to key ally Canada, where he is expected to be greeted more warmly than by certain US politicians skeptical of providing more military aid.
According to a government official, Canada, one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters in the war against Russia, is likely to announce during the visit that it is delivering more weaponry to Ukraine.
“Canada will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, and we will always stand firm to defend the rule of law and the international rules-based order,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday in New York.
Zelenskiy will address parliament in Ottawa before holding a press conference with Trudeau. He virtually addressed parliamentarians in March 2022.
According to Ihor Michalchyshyn, executive director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress advocacy group, Canada is crucial since it is a member of both the Group of Seven and NATO, and all Canadian major parties support Ukraine.
“So I think it’s appropriate for the president to be expecting and asking more from his Canadian partners,” he explained in an interview. “If Ukraine’s friends want Ukraine to win the war, the only way to do so is with renewed and increased military support.”
Canada has 1.4 million people of Ukrainian heritage, the third largest after Ukraine and Russia.
In Washington, Zelenskiy appealed to US senators on Thursday for ongoing support, despite Republican reservations about approving a new batch of aid.
Although Canada has no such divisions, it lacks the massive money and military reserves of the United States, Germany, and other key allies.
Canada has provided about C$8 billion ($5.9 billion) in aid to Ukraine since the beginning of 2022, including over C$1.8 billion in military assistance.
According to a Canadian government official, the arms purchase Trudeau is expected to announce on Friday would be larger than the C$33 million Ottawa announced on Sunday to assist Kyiv in purchasing missile defenses. Because the exact details had not yet been decided upon, the official requested anonymity.
As part of the arms contract, David Perry, a security expert at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, expects Ottawa to provide more combat support vehicles as well as training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
