Kyiv, 2 January 2024 (TDI): President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine had his first international conversation of 2024 with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, who reassured him of Canada’s continuous support ‘for as long as it takes’ in the fight against Russia’s invasion.
“As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its second winter, Ukrainians can count on Canada’s support—for as long as it takes,” according to a statement by Trudeau.
“That’s the message I shared on the phone with [Zelenskyy] this morning.”
In Zelenskyy’s statement, he said that Trudeau and he “focused primarily on security.”
“We’re starting the year with active work to further strengthen Ukraine, particularly our air defense, in the wake of brutal Russian air attacks,” Zelenskyy added.
Security Cooperation
Furthermore, the president of Ukraine said they primarily discussed security issues, where he reported Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and villages to the prime minister of Canada.
Zelenskyy observed that the parties talked about their work on security assurances and decided that in order to come to an appropriate agreement, their teams would soon step up their bilateral talks.
“I am grateful to Prime Minister Trudeau for his willingness to assist us in protecting the Ukrainian sky, particularly by providing additional NASAMS systems and missiles,” the leader of Ukraine said.
Also Read: UK to ship about 200 air defense missiles to Ukraine
“I appreciate Justin and Canada assisting our relevant efforts on a global scale. I am also grateful for the reassurance that Canada’s support for Ukraine will continue this year, both in terms of military and financial assistance,” Zelenskyy concluded.
Previous to this, Canada declared that 30 Russian nationals will face sanctions for their participation in the rigged elections that took place in the temporarily controlled areas of Ukraine on September 8–10, 2023.
