Trudeau meets with Zelensky during Kiev surprise visit: Media
2 Min Read
Canadian media suggest the talks are centered on Ottawa's support for Kiev and Canada's role in reconstructing Ukraine.
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Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Oleksandr Polishchuk and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Kiev, Ukraine, on June 10, 2023 (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)
The CBC television reported that in an unannounced one-day visit, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau landed in Kiev on Saturday and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail suggested that the discussions centered on Ottawa's support for Kiev and Canada's role in reconstructing Ukraine.
According to CBC, Trudeau is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
It is noteworthy that this is Trudeau's second unannounced visit to Ukraine since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022. He last visited the country in May 2022, where he reopened the Canadian Embassy in Kiev and met with Zelensky for the first time since the war began.
Trudeau and Zelensky also met last month on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
Since the start of the Ukraine war, Canada has joined Western countries in imposing sanctions against Russia and has provided more than $8 billion in support of Kiev.
Canada provided Ukraine with $1 billion in military assistance, including the supply of eight Leopard 2 main battle tanks.
In April, Trudeau pledged that Canada would provide the Ukrainian forces with thousands of assault weapons, dozens of machine guns, and millions of rounds of ammunition.
Last month, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said her country would provide Ukraine with 43 short-range missiles.
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