Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives at the memorial wall outside of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, June 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
KYIV, Ukraine – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed Ukraine’s parliament today, calling the fight against Russia’s invasion a battle “for the future of us all.”
He received several standing ovations during the 25-minute speech before a special session of the national legislature, known as the Verkhovna Rada.
Trudeau also told the lawmakers that Canada will support their country’s bid for membership in the NATO military alliance and that peace must be achieved on Ukrainian terms and by total withdrawal of Russian forces.
Trudeau’s address is part of an unannounced visit to Kyiv, where he pledged help for Ukraine’s military, including more weapons and fighter-pilot training, worth $500 million in new funding.
Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and some of his senior advisers and his trade minister, as well as both countries’ ambassadors.
This is the second time that Trudeau has visited Ukraine since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and comes amid signs a long-awaited spring counteroffensive against Russia could be underway.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2023.
