Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking Friday to Canada’s Parliament, expressed his gratitude for Canada’s support of his country, which has been fighting a Russian invasion since February 2022.
“Canadian support for Ukraine with weapons and equipment has allowed us to save thousands of lives,” he said, adding, “Canada’s leadership in sanctions against Russia for this war on terror really encouraged others in the world to follow your lead.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged an additional $482 million in aid for Ukraine. He said the package would include about 50 armored vehicles and F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots.
So far, Canada has provided $5.9 billion in military and other aid to Ukraine. Trudeau promised that Canada would continue to stand “strongly and unequivocally” with Kyiv. “The Ukrainian people are the tip of the spear that is determining the future of the 21st century,” he said in a statement.
The two leaders also were scheduled to sign an agreement designed to strengthen economic ties between their countries.
Zelenskyy was heading to Toronto with Trudeau to meet with business leaders and members of the Ukrainian Canadian community. Canada is home to the world’s second-largest Ukrainian diaspora, with 1.4 million people of Ukrainian descent.
Zelenskyy’s Canadian stops followed a whirlwind Washington visit, during which he won a pledge of continued support from President Joe Biden and delivered a bracing message: Without another tranche of U.S. funding to combat Russian aggression, Ukraine will lose the war.
“The United States is going to continue to stand with you,” Biden told Zelenskyy on Thursday at the White House.
Source : VOA News
