A meeting between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau has begun in Ottawa.
The leaders will hold one-on-one and expanded negotiations.
“Thank you for your support since the first days of the full-scale war – these are phone calls, as well as real steps by your government and all Canadians. Thank you to your beautiful country! I want to thank you for sheltering Ukrainians in this difficult period and helping us on the battlefield with military, financial and humanitarian aid. Thank you for standing with us, for standing for our victory,” the Head of State said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Justin Trudeau will discuss Ukraine’s defense needs, further financial and humanitarian support for our country, as well as expanding opportunities for economic and investment cooperation.
“As I said when I addressed the Ukrainian parliament this June: The Ukrainian people are the tip of the spear that is determining the future of the 21st century. Canada remains unwavering in our support to the people of Ukraine as they fight for their sovereignty and their democracy, as well as our shared values like respect for the rule of law, freedom, and self-determination. I look forward to welcoming President Zelenskyy to Canada to continue building on our support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people as they contend with the effects of Russia’s brutal war of aggression.”
The President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Canada will take part in the signing of bilateral documents and meet with media representatives.
Quick Facts
- President Zelenskyy will be accompanied by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska.
- Since January 2022, Canada has committed more than $8.9 billion in multifaceted support to Ukraine, including $4.95 billion in direct financial support and over $1.8 billion in military aid ranging from Leopard 2 tanks and air defence and artillery systems to armoured vehicles, ammunition, and more.
- Budget 2023 extended a $2.4 billion loan to the Government of Ukraine for this year, to support Ukraine’s budgetary needs.
- Canada has provided the highest per-capita direct financial support to Ukraine in the G7.
- In addition, Canada is also providing broader military assistance to Ukraine and supporting our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allies. We have extended Operation UNIFIER to 2026, providing significant capacity for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to respond to Ukraine’s urgent training needs. We have also renewed and expanded Operation REASSURANCE, Canada’s largest overseas mission, through which the CAF contributes to NATO’s deterrence and defence measures in Central and Eastern Europe as part of the biggest reinforcement of Alliance collective defence in a generation.
- The CAF have been assisting with the delivery of military aid for Ukraine from Canada and on behalf of our Allies and partners, having transported over twelve million pounds of military donations since March 2022.
- Canada’s military assistance to Ukraine includes eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks and one armoured recovery vehicle, a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) with associated munitions, 39 armoured combat support vehicles, anti-tank weapons, small arms, M777 howitzers and associated ammunition, high-resolution drone cameras, satellite communications equipment, and more. Canada and several Allies have also agreed to establish a joint coalition for the training of the Ukrainian Air Force in operating and maintaining F-16 fighter aircraft.
- Launched in 2015, Operation UNIFIER was expanded and extended until 2026. Since the start of the operation, the CAF has trained more than 38,000 Ukrainian military and security personnel in battlefield tactics and advanced military skills.
- Since January 2022, Canada has committed $352.5 million in humanitarian assistance to respond to the humanitarian impacts of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.
- Since the start of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, Canada has welcomed more than 175,000 Ukrainians. Canada is also helping Ukrainian families find a safe, temporary home in Canada, and has put in place support services to help them after they arrive. This includes temporary financial assistance and access to federally funded settlement services, such as language training and employment-related services.
- Canada has also committed $147 million in development assistance and more than $105 million in security and stabilization assistance to Ukraine to address emerging priorities, including for mental health support, demining, climate change mitigation, and other priority areas.
- In 2022, Canada’s merchandise exports to Ukraine totalled $150.2 million, and merchandise imports from Ukraine totalled $271.2 million, an increase of 19 per cent over the previous year.
- In April 2023, Prime Minister Trudeau and the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, signed a joint declaration on the conclusion of negotiations for the modernization of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.
- Since Russia’s illegal occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea in 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 2,600 individuals and entities. Many of these sanctions have been undertaken in coordination with Canada’s Allies and partners.