As Ukraine starts its eagerly awaited counteroffensive to force the Russian army out of the occupied eastern and southern territories, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged an additional $500 million in Canadian military assistance to the country.
According to Trudeau, Canada has provided Ukraine with funding support totaling more than $8 billion since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Additionally, he said that Canada would continue its Operation Unifier military training mission until 2026 and volunteered to assist in training Ukrainian pilots for the F-16 fighter jet.
Unexpected Visit to Kyiv
The Canadian federal government plans to confiscate a cargo plane with Russian registration that touched down in Toronto on February 27, 2022, a few days after Russia invaded Ukraine. It would be the first tangible asset taken under Canada’s new sanctions regime if it were seized.
As his men engaged in fierce combat along the front line, Zelenskyy claimed counteroffensive and defensive activities were in progress. He also claimed his top commanders were maintaining a “positive” attitude.
- Ukraine’s counteroffensive begins; Trudeau pledges $500 million in Canadian military aid.
- Canadian government plans to seize Russian cargo plane, first tangible asset under sanctions.
- Trudeau attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance, marking the start of the war.
The collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, for which both Moscow and Kyiv lay the blame, was attributed by Trudeau to Russia. In addition to allocating an additional previously announced $37 million specifically for aiding Ukraine in managing and recovering from the breach’s impact, Canada provided $10 million in humanitarian aid.
After first attributing the dam’s demise to the invasion, Trudeau placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of Russia. He also disclosed new sanctions against 24 people and 17 organizations.
Trudeau took part in a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance, a one-of-a-kind, intensely personal collection of images and inscriptions honoring those who lost their lives in the Russian-Ukrainian War. He claimed that the recent round of fierce combat marks the “start” of the much-anticipated drive.
The collapse of the hydroelectric dam and the floods that followed along the Dnipro River provided some military relief for the Russians in the southern region close to Kherson where the river has widened and is now more difficult for Ukrainian forces to cross.
