Canada will continue to support Ukraine as it battles against Russia’s invasion, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call this week.
The prime minister’s assurances come on the heels of Russian President Vladimir Putin vowing to “intensify” Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.
Russia launched 90 Shahed-style drones into the country during the early hours of Jan. 1, a move that Mr. Putin described as retaliation for a Dec. 30 “terrorist attack” on the Russian border city of Belgorod that left more than two dozen people dead and wounded more than 100 others. As of Jan. 1, the death toll stood at 25, including five children.
Ukraine shot down 87 of the 90 Russian drones, but a 15-year-old boy was killed and seven people were wounded after falling debris from one of the downed drones hit a residential building in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, Ukraine military officials said.
Mr. Zelenskyy said his country was thankful for Canada’s promise to aid in beefing up Ukraine’s air defence in the wake of the “brutal” Russian air attacks, which damaged civilian infrastructure in Ukrainian regions of Sumy, Odessa, Lviv, Poltava, Kyiv, Donetsk, and Kherson.
He said his conversation with Mr. Trudeau “focused primarily on security.”
He said they also talked about the preparation of the fourth Peace Formula meeting of advisors in Davos in January.
Canada’s Help
Mr. Trudeau, in September of 2023, pledged $650 million in military aid for Ukraine’s defence against Russia, bringing Canada’s total committed support to more than $9.5 billion.In total, the Canadian government has provided more than $9.5 billion in assistance to Ukraine, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) says. That number includes $4.95 billion in direct financial support and $1.8 billion in military aid.
September’s $650 million commitment, made during Mr. Zelenskyy’s visit to Canada’s Parliament on Sept. 22, will extend over three years, providing 50 armoured vehicles. Mr. Trudeau said those include medical evacuation vehicles to be built in London, Ont.
“President Zelenskyy, you and the Ukrainian people are holding the rules-based order in the balance,” Mr. Trudeau said during the Ukrainian president’s visit to the House of Commons. “You are on the front lines, not just of the fight for Ukraine, but in the fight for the kind of future we are all going to be living in.”
Mr. Zelenskyy thanked Canada for supporting Ukraine’s military efforts and NATO ambitions.
“One of the most sterling qualities of your country is that justice is not an empty word for Canada,” he said. “Another extremely important fact about you is that you never, never, ever make a political bet on hatred and enmity, and you’re always on the bright side of history.”
Mr. Trudeau also made a surprise visit to Ukraine last June during which he pledged $500 million in military aid.
Putin Blames Western Nations
Mr. Putin has laid blame for attacks on Russian cities not just on Ukraine, but also on Western nations, which he said are using Ukraine to try to “put Russia in its place.”“They want to intimidate us and create uncertainty within our country,” Mr. Putin told reporters during a New Year’s Day visit to a military hospital. “We will intensify strikes. Not a single crime against our civilian population will go unpunished.”
Despite promising to repay Ukraine in kind for the Dec. 30 attack on Belgorod, Mr. Putin was adamant Russia would target only Ukrainian military infrastructure.
“Of course, we can hit public squares in Kyiv and in any other Ukrainian city,” he said. “I’m boiling with rage, but do we need to hit civilians? No. We are hitting military targets, and that’s what we will keep doing.”
Despite the president’s assurances that civilian areas would not be targeted, two of Ukraine’s largest cities were attacked by Russian hypersonic ballistic missiles Jan. 2, killing at least four people and injuring nearly 100, Mr. Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel. The capital city of Kyiv and Kharkiv were both targeted by hypersonic Kinzhal missiles that can fly at 10 times the speed of sound, he said.
Mr. Zelenskyy said Russian forces have launched an approximate total of 170 Shahed drones and “dozens of missiles of various types” since Jan. 1, most of which were aimed at civilian areas.
