Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an emotional speech before the Canadian Parliament on Tuesday morning, presented by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau via videoconference amid warm applause from parliament members and guests who wanted to engage the attendees by listening to his speech.

President Zelensky addressed the audience by talking about the situation his country is facing due to the Russian invasion, citing whether they could accept that this could happen to Canadian cities like Vancouver and Montreal.

Zelensky’s speech comes as the Russian attack in Ukraine approaches central Kyiv.

Also, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a speech before the Canadian Parliament today as his country continues to defend itself from the Russian attack.

Before the speech, the federal government announced new sanctions on 15 Russian officials who "enabled and supported President [Vladimir] Putin’s choice to invade a peaceful and sovereign state."

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said the sanctions include military personnel and generals, adding:

"Our goal is to increase pressure on the Russian regime, and we are sanctioning these individuals because they are part of the decision-making process linked to the catastrophe."

The speech is expected to begin today around 11:15 a.m. Eastern Time with a word from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, followed by Zelensky’s address.

After Zelensky’s speech, the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House will deliver a speech before the House of Commons, followed by leaders of the three main opposition parties and a member of the Green Party.

Parliament is not scheduled to convene until March 21, but Speaker of the House Anthony Rota approved a special request to convene Parliament, and the Members of Parliament and Senators will be in the House of Commons for this event.

Zelensky delivered a speech before the British House of Commons earlier this month and is scheduled to speak to members of the U.S. House and Senate on Wednesday.

His speech comes as the Russian attack in Ukraine approached central Kyiv on Tuesday morning. Large explosions were reported across Kyiv, described by Ukrainian authorities as artillery shelling.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators also plan to resume talks on Tuesday after a break on Monday.

In his address to Northern European leaders earlier on Tuesday, Zelensky pushed for a full trade embargo on Russia, saying that sanctions so far have not been sufficient to confront the Russian advance.

Zelensky told the joint infantry force, "We must recognize Russia as a rogue state and there must be a trade embargo with Russia."

"This is something we need just like the rest of the world, to ensure there is peace in Europe and Ukraine."

The Canadian government says that since Russia’s attempt to annex Crimea in 2014, it has imposed sanctions on more than 900 individuals and entities.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair