Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged Canada to stand by his country until victory, as he appeared before parliament in Ottawa in an attempt to bolster support from Western allies for Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion, AP reports.
Volodymyr ZelenskyPhoto: Ukrainian Presidential Press Off / Zuma Press / Profimedia
Zelenski arrived in Canada late Thursday evening after meeting with US President Joe Biden and lawmakers in Washington. He spoke at the annual UN meeting on Wednesday.
“Moscow must lose once and for all. And he will lose,” Zelenski said during his speech in Parliament.
Zelenski stated that Canada has always been “on the good side of history” in previous wars and noted that it helped save thousands of lives in this war through its aid.
He also thanked Canadians for their financial support and for making Ukrainians fleeing the war feel at home in Canada.
Zelenski repeatedly thanked Canada and received a standing ovation from numerous dignitaries and parliamentarians.
Zelenskiy made an association between the current suffering of Ukrainians and the genocide caused by Stalin in the 1930s, when the Soviet leader was accused of causing an artificial famine in Ukraine, which is believed to have killed more than 3 million people. He mentioned that in 1993, in Edmonton, Canada, the first monument in the world was erected to commemorate that genocide.
He expressed hope that one day a monument to Ukraine’s victory against the Russian invasion would be erected in Canada, “maybe in Edmonton.”
In my today’s address to the Parliament of Canada I emphasized that what Russian occupiers are doing to Ukraine is genocide. And when we want to win, when we call on the world to support us, it’s not just about an ordinary conflict. It’s about saving lives of millions of people. pic.twitter.com/lWzl8YIDf9
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) September 22, 2023
“I have many warm words and thanks from Ukraine for you,” Zelensky said in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office before the speech. “You have helped us on the battlefield, financially and with humanitarian aid…Stay with us until our victory.”
Trudeau called the visit an opportunity to show Zelenskiy “how firmly and unequivocally Canada stands with Ukraine” and announced an additional 650 million Canadian dollars ($482 million) over three years for 50 armored vehicles to be manufactured in Canada.
It is Zelenskiy’s first visit to Canada since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“I’ve made it clear that our government will be with you as long as it takes,” Trudeau said in his speech.
Trudeau said his country has provided Ukraine with nearly 9 billion Canadian dollars (6.7 billion US dollars) in military, financial and humanitarian support since the start of the war.
Zelenskiy and Trudeau are to go to Toronto to meet with the local Ukrainian community. About 1.4 million people of Ukrainian origin live in Canada, almost 4% of the population.
More than 175,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since the start of the war and another 700,000 have been approved to come to Canada as part of an initiative that supports the temporary resettlement of those fleeing the war. The initiative allows obtaining a work permit open for three years, with the possibility of obtaining permanent residence and citizenship.
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