Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, June 10, 2023. Trudeau is spending the day in Kyiv again today in order to mark two years since the start of Russia's invasion. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
KYIV, Ukraine – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling Vladimir Putin a “weakling” ahead of Russian presidential elections next month and in the wake of the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Speaking with reporters at the end of a surprise trip to Ukraine, Trudeau accused Putin of “executing” Navalny and using police and the military to crush opposition in Russia.
Russian authorities say Navalny died a week ago in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence.
Navalny was roundly considered Putin’s greatest political foe.
Putin is running for a fifth term as president next month in an election he is all but certain to win.
Asked whether he would recognize the results of that election, Trudeau called Putin a coward for quashing political dissent to make sure there is no opposition.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2024.
