Justin Trudeau also visited an outdoor exhibit of destroyed military vehicles.
Kyiv, Ukraine:
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid an unannounced visit to Kiev on Saturday as Ukrainian forces fought fiercely against Russia on the southern frontline.
Justin Trudeau, who is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later on Saturday, placed flowers near a wall depicting the faces of fallen soldiers as a military orchestra played, AFP journalists saw.
He also visited an open-air exhibition with destroyed military vehicles.
Ukraine’s deputy defense minister Oleksandr Polishchuk handed Trudeau a container of shrapnel from a missile that fell in the Black Sea port city of Odessa.
A group of Ukrainian soldiers receiving training in Canada spoke to Trudeau. One of them, Colonel Petro Ostapchuk, told reporters that the troops received training for elite riflemen, engineers and junior commanders.
“It is a great privilege to meet the Prime Minister,” he said.
Canada, which is home to a large Ukrainian diaspora, has been one of Kiev’s main allies since the Russian invasion.
Ottawa has provided significant military aid to Ukraine, trained more than 36,000 soldiers and passed sanctions against Moscow.
Justin Trudeau’s visit comes as Russia has reported that it has thwarted Ukrainian attacks in the east and south, which some observers say is the start of Kiev’s expected full-scale counter-offensive.
Ukraine has so far minimized the significance of the attacks.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
