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(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Canada’s parliament that Russia’s war against his country will ultimately fail in the face of the resolve of his people and their allies.
Canada pledged new measures to help Ukraine on Friday during Zelenskiy’s first visit since Russia’s invasion — including C$650 million ($482 million) over three years to supply Ukraine with 50 armored vehicles, including medical evacuation vehicles, to be built in southwestern Ontario.
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Zelenskiy, speaking to lawmakers, thanked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government for its support, at times calling the Canadian leader by his first name. “Ukraine and Canada are the same. We stand and we fight for life,” Zelenskiy said in English on the floor of the House of Commons, clad in army-green apparel. “Ukraine, not genocide, will be victorious in this war.”
Canadian lawmakers of all political stripes warmly welcomed Zelenskiy on Friday, standing up multiple times to deliver thunderous applause. The show of unity struck a different tone from Zelenskiy’s visit to the US, which was marked by divisions between Democrats and Republicans about the scale of support for Ukraine.
Read More in Our Newsletter: Zelenskiy at White House But Aid in Limbo: Washington Edition
In Canada, home to a large Ukrainian diaspora, there is much agreement on assistance for the country. When debate occurs, it tends to focus on whether Canada can offer enough help, given its relatively small military. Trudeau has not provided a plan to bring defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product, as agreed by North Atlantic Treaty Organization members.
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Still, Trudeau’s government says it has provided nearly C$9 billion ($6.7 billion) in financial and military aid to Ukraine.
“This is a challenge on a generational scale, a challenge history will judge us on,” the Canadian leader said Friday — one that requires a “lionhearted” bravery exemplified by Zelenskiy and all Ukrainians, he added. “They have fought back with a courage that has inspired the world.”
Zelenskiy’s speech was filled with gratitude for Canada’s support and recognition of the ties between the two countries — a different tack from his virtual address to parliament last year, when he pleaded for more western support including a no-fly zone over his territory.
He pointed out that Edmonton, Alberta, was the first city in the world to build a monument to the Holodomor, the starvation of Ukrainians by the Soviet Union in the early 1930s. Perhaps, he said, a monument will be built someday in Edmonton or other cities to honor “our common victory” in this war.
