By Barry Ellsworth
TRENTON, Canada (AA) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will pay his first visit to Canada this week since the outbreak of the war with Russia and speak to parliament, Canadian media said Tuesday.
Zelenskyy will arrive in Canada on Thursday, but he will first make a stop in Washington, D.C. that day to drum up support for continued US aid at a time when a partisan divide in Congress is clouding the issue.
There is no wavering backing for Ukraine in Canada, though, as the country has maintained fervent support from the outset of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
Canada has the second largest diaspora of Ukrainians in the world with a population of about 1.4 million. As of July, nearly 170,000 Ukrainian refugees had come to Canada since the beginning of the conflict.
While the Canadian visit has not been officially confirmed, the two-day stop has been reported by all major Canadian media as coming from reliable but anonymous government sources.
Friday’s address to parliament will not be Zelenskyy’s first, as he delivered a speech via video a few weeks before the outbreak of hostilities with Russia.
Canada has sent more than CAN$1 billion ($744 million) and has joined its allies in proclaiming that backing Ukraine is the defense of the sovereignty of all countries from powerful forces.
US President Joe Biden wants another $24 billion in security and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, but the Republicans, who are now in control of the House, are moving toward a policy of “America First” advocated by former President Donald Trump.