Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed during his surprise visit to Ukraine that the message conveyed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is that Canada will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.

Trudeau wrote on Twitter today, Sunday, that he traveled accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian news agency "Ukrinform" announced the visit earlier today and published a picture of Trudeau, whose country belongs to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), standing in front of destroyed houses in the city of Irpin located on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Oleksandr Markushyn, the mayor of Irpin, wrote on his Facebook account: "I have just had the honor of speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who arrived in Irpin to witness firsthand all the horrors inflicted on our city by the Russian occupiers."
Russian forces occupied the area surrounding the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, including the suburb of Irpin, for weeks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February. After the withdrawal of Russian forces, hundreds of civilian bodies were discovered, and the Ukrainian government holds Russia responsible for the killing of these civilians.

Many international politicians visited Ukraine repeatedly in recent weeks to express support and solidarity. German Parliament President Bärbel Bas, holding the second highest office in Germany after the presidency, visited Kyiv today, spoke with Zelenskyy, expressed Germany's solidarity with Ukraine, and commemorated the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Allies' victory over Nazi Germany.

The Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries, to which Canada belongs, has provided comprehensive and swift support to Ukraine, starting with sanctions against Moscow, including measures such as significantly raising tariffs on Russian imports. Following this, Canada sent heavy weapons to Ukraine consisting of four M777 artillery pieces. For this purpose, Canada eased its restrictions on arms exports to war zones.