Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address Canada’s Parliament on Friday in a bid to bolster Western allies’ support for Ukraine’s war against Russia’s invasion.
Zelensky arrived at the Ottawa airport Thursday evening, after meeting with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden and lawmakers in Washington, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office.
Trudeau received Zelenskyy and will also speak in Parliament in Ottawa on Friday.
This is Zelensky’s first visit to Canada since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He previously addressed the Canadian Parliament remotely shortly after the start of the war.
Zelenskyy and Trudeau are expected to travel from Ottawa to Toronto to meet with the local Ukrainian community. About 1.4 million people of Ukrainian origin live in Canada, or about 4% of the population.
The Ukrainian president is making this trip after stopping at the United Nations and the White House.
Canada’s Ambassador to the UN, Bob Rae, said it was important for Zelensky to see the extent to which Canada supports Ukraine in the war.
“We’ve done a lot to help him and we need to do more,” Rae said. “We will continue to do everything we can to support the Ukrainian people. »
Canada has provided more than C$8.9 billion (US$6.6 billion) in aid to Ukraine, in what the Trudeau government calls the largest per capita direct financial aid to Ukraine among the Group of Seven countries.
More than 175,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since the start of the war, and another 700,000 have been approved to participate in an initiative that supports the temporary resettlement of those fleeing the war. The initiative envisages a three-year open work permit with the possibility of access to permanent residency and naturalization.
Ukrainian forces are fighting to regain territories captured by Russia last year. Their progress over the next month, before the rains arrive and the ground turns to mud, could be decisive in gaining greater global support over the winter.
Zelenskyy made his first official visit to Canada in 2019.
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