A fight for ‘the future of us all’: Trudeau commits another $500M to help Ukraine military

Canada will spend $500 million to assist Ukraine’s army combat Russia’s invasion, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated Saturday in Kyiv, the place he informed the nation’s parliament they’re in a battle for “the future of us all.”

“You are the tip of the spear that is determining the future of the 21st century,” Trudeau stated throughout a 25-minute speech earlier than a particular session of the nationwide legislature, often known as the Verkhovna Rada.

Pledging extra weapons and fighter-pilot coaching for Ukraine, Trudeau alsotold the lawmakers that Canada will assist their nation’s bid for membership within the NATO army alliance.

“We want peace on Ukrainian terms,” he stated. “Russia must completely and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces from Ukraine.”

Trudeau acquired a number of standing ovations in his speech, and a heat embrace from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Two legislators had been holding Canadian flags.

“Canada will continue to stand with Ukraine with whatever it takes, as long as it takes,” Trudeau stated earlier Saturday at a press convention whereas standing beside Zelenskyy.

“You’re fighting for your country and for values like democracy, freedom, respect, and dignity. And in fighting for Ukraine, you’re also fighting for the future of us all,” Trudeau informed Zelenskyy.

The go to, which was on the invitation of Ukraine, comes amid indicators {that a} long-awaited spring counteroffensive in opposition to Russia may very well be underway.

It can be taking place throughout wildfires throughout Canada, with smoke decreasing air high quality, and after Friday’s resignation of the particular rapporteur Trudeau had assigned to probe international interference.

“Canada will be part of the multinational efforts to train fighter pilots and to help maintain Ukraine’s fighter-jet program, leveraging Canadian expertise in these areas,” Trudeau stated through the news convention, including that Canada will be a part of a workforce of nations serving to to keep up tanks, whereas offering further missiles and rounds of ammunition.

That consists of 288 extra AIM-7 missiles for fending off Russian airstrikes, and reallocating current funds for 10,000 rounds of 105-millimetre ammunition, Trudeau stated.

The prime minister additionally introduced $10 million in new funding to assist these dealing with a worsening humanitarian scenario in southern Ukraine after the collapse of a hydroelectric dam this week, together with $37.5 million in help beforehand earmarked for the nation.

The Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric dam on the Dnieper River has flooded a big a part of the entrance line in southern Ukraine, an space that was already present process shelling.

It stays unclear how the dam collapse occurred. Kyiv has accused Russia of blowing up the dam and its hydropower plant, which Russian forces managed. Moscow stated Ukraine did it.

Trudeau didn’t attribute direct duty for the dam’s collapse, however stated it’s in the end Russia’s fault.

“This was a direct consequence of Russia’s war and it is devastating for thousands upon thousands of people,” he informed reporters.

Trudeau additionally introduced extra sanctions on 24 people and 17 entities for alleged assist of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He additionally stated the federal authorities would attempt to seize an enormous Russian-registered Antonov 124 cargo aircraft that Canada grounded after it landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport in February 2022.

The prime minister stated Canada will attempt to forfeit the aircraft to Ukraine, so it could’t be used to assist Russia’s battle effort. Ottawa has laws to forfeit property of individuals sanctioned by Canada, however as of a month in the past it had not filed any court docket utility regardless of promising final December to grab property held by oligarch Roman Abramovich.

The checklist of these being sanctions was not instantly obtainable from Trudeau’s workplace on Saturday.

The two leaders additionally issued a joint declaration with a dozen factors that largely reiterated Canada’s actions for Ukraine. It talked about “the need to strengthen efforts to ensure the effective implementation of sanctions and to prevent and counter circumvention in and by third countries.”

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland joined Trudeau on the journey, which started with the laying of a wreath on the Wall of Remembrance at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery.

Freeland additionally positioned some flowers on the wall, which options photographs of Ukrainians who’ve died whereas defending their homeland since Russia’s preliminary invasion in 2014. Both met Ukrainian troopers there for the occasion.

On his strategy to the wall, Trudeau at one level crouched down low to look inside one of many frames of burnt-out Russian tanks and army autos that fill a public sq.. Not lengthy earlier than Trudeau and Freeland arrived, there was sombre music and an honour guard for a casket carried into the cathedral for a funeral.

This is the second time that Trudeau has made an unannounced go to to the embattled nation since Russia started its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Trudeau final travelled to Ukraine simply over a 12 months in the past, the place he reopened the Canadian Embassy in Kyiv and met Zelenskyy in particular person for the primary time for the reason that battle started.

Some media shops, together with The Canadian Press, had been made conscious of this new journey forward of time on the situation that it not be reported till it was made public, for safety causes.

I welcome Canadian Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau and representatives of his workforce to Ukraine.

Despite all Russia's efforts to bow our folks, Ukrainians proceed to combat for independence and freedom. And in our victory, we are going to stand collectively simply as we’re standing now – on our… pic.twitter.com/sX5dUfP5kK

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 10, 2023

Trudeau met Zelenskyy within the constructing housing his workplace, and the pair then took half in an expanded bilateral assembly with a few of each Zelenskyy and Trudeau’s senior advisers, Freeland and Ukraine’s commerce minister, in addition to each international locations’ ambassadors.

Zelenskyy thanked Canada for taking in hundreds of Ukrainians fleeing the battle. “We need more friends like Canada,” he stated.

The go to coincides with Ukraine’s gradual ramping up of army exercise. Moscow has claimed that Ukraine’s long-promised spring counteroffensive is already taking place, whereas Ukraine’s prime army brass confirmed Saturday that “heavy battles” had been underway and that Russia was launching air and artillery strikes in Ukraine’s southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated Moscow will deploy a few of its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus subsequent month, a transfer that the Belarusian opposition described as an try to blackmail the West forward of a July assembly of the NATO army alliance.

Ottawa has contributed greater than $8 billion to efforts associated to the battle in Ukraine since final 12 months. That has included launching a particular immigration program to permit Ukrainians to return to Canada rapidly with a short lived work and examine allow, as an alternative of going by way of the standard refugee system.

The cash consists of $1 billion in army assist, together with the donation of eight Leopard 2 important battle tanks to Ukraine and coaching for its medics and troopers in third international locations like Latvia.

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