Zelensky addresses Canada's parliament as Trudeau pledges more aid

President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Canadian Parliament on Sept. 22 after his talks with the country's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In his welcoming words at the House of Commons, Trudeau announced further aid for Ukraine, including 650 million Canadian dollars ($480 million) for 50 armored vehicles and training on F-16 fighter jets.

The funds will be used over the period of three years, and the vehicles, including medical evacuation vehicles, will be built in Canada.

Trudeau praised Zelensky and Ukraine for their "fierce" resistance against Russian aggression, adding that the Ukrainian people are "holding the rule-based order in the balance."

When addressing the parliament, Zelensky said Russia is committing genocide against the Ukrainian people.

"When we call on the world to help us, it is not just an ordinary conflict, it is about saving the lives of millions of people," Zelensky said, reminding the human loss and destruction in Mariupol, Bakhmut, Volnovakha, and other Ukrainian cities.

Read also: Canada pledges nearly $25 million to bolster Ukraine’s air defense

The president said that throughout history, Canada has always stood on the "side of freedom and justice."

"Justice is not an empty word in Canada... you are always on the right side of history."

Zelensky stressed that Ottawa's support, including air defense, armored vehicles, artillery shells, and demining equipment, is saving thousands of Ukrainian lives.

He also thanked Canada for helping Ukraine to reduce its dependency on Russian nuclear fuel.

Zelensky said that during their earlier meeting today, he and Trudeau discussed a Canadian initiative in the Group of Seven (G7) to confiscate Russian assets and use them for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Western countries have frozen around $300 billion of Russia's Central Bank assets since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv and its partners have been seeking ways to use them to fund Ukraine's recovery.

Zelensky arrived in Ottawa late on Sept. 21 for his first official visit to Canada since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The trip followed his earlier visit to New York where Zelensky addressed the U.N. General Assembly and the Security Council. The president then headed to Washington, D.C., where he held talks with members of the U.S. Congress, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and President Joe Biden.

Read also: Oleg Sukhov: The West lacks political will to ensure Ukraine’s victory

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