Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Canada on Friday to stay with his country to victory as he went to the Canadian Parliament seeking to bolster support from Western allies for Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion.
Zelenskyy flew into Canada’s capital late on Thursday after meetings with President Joe Biden and lawmakers in Washington. He spoke at the United Nations’ annual meeting on Wednesday.
“Moscow must lose once and for all. And it will lose,” Zelenskyy said during his address in Parliament.
Zelenskyy said Canada has always been on the “bright side of history” in fighting previous wars and has helped save thousands of lives in this war with aid. He also thanked Canadians for financial support and for making Ukrainians fleeing war feel at home in Canada.
Zelenskyy linked the suffering of Ukrainians now to the 1930s genocide caused by Stalin, when the Soviet leader was blamed for creating a man-made famine in Ukraine believed to have killed more than 3 million people. He noted that it was in Edmonton, Canada, where the world’s first monument was erected in 1993 to commemorate the Ukrainian Famine Genocide.
It is Zelenskyy’s first visit to Canada since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. He previously addressed the Canadian Parliament virtually after the war started.
Trudeau called the visit an opportunity to show Zelenskyy “how strongly and unequivocally we stand with Ukraine” and announced an additional $650 million Canadian over three years for 50 armoured vehicles that will be built in Canada.
“We are shifting our approach to provide multiyear assistance to ensure Ukraine has the predictable support it needs for long-term support,” Trudeau said at a news conference.
