Members of Calgary’s Ukrainian community gathered outside city hall in support of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to Canada. Organizers say they gathered Thursday morning to show solidarity with Ukraine and gratitude to Canada for the support throughout Russia’s war against Ukraine. “I believe people who value democracy, people who value justice, will continue supporting,” said Anna Tselukhina, president of the Calgary branch of Ukrainian Canadian Congress, adding they want peace in Ukraine. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Zelenskyy met at the Palliser Hotel on Thursday morning before heading to Banff for the Cabinet Planning Forum. “This visit will help prepare Ukraine for winter and help tighten the support Canada already has provided for Ukraine,” Tselukhina said, adding hundreds of thousands of Albertans are of Ukrainian descent. At the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Carney and Zelenskyy signed a 100-year partnership and drone collaboration, which comes as Russian aerial attacks continue to kill civilians and destroy infrastructure in Ukraine. “Canadians understand in our bones the importance of your struggle,” Carney said. “Your (Ukraine’s) cause — freedom, democracy, sovereignty — is our cause, and your history informs our history.” Carney and Zelenskyy also signed declarations to work together on defence, security and critical minerals. “We have to be stronger enough to have a real dialogue with Putin, (that) not only compromises what he wants,” Zelenskyy said. “We need what is good for people of Ukraine, for people of Europe, for people of the world, for our children.” More than 1.3 million Canadians are of Ukrainian descent, including more than 300,000 in Alberta. The prime minister also announced a national drone marketplace, creating the capacity to produce millions of drones within the next two years, partnering Ukraine’s world-leading drone capabilities with Canada’s manufacturing and artificial intelligence expertise. As Ukraine battles war with one world superpower, Canada faces a trade war with another: the United States. “The only way you can in fact deter or stop an aggressor state is through the combination of those that will stand together,” said Robert Hubert, political science professor and the director for the Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary. Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, are in Canada until Friday, with stops also planned in Toronto and North Bay, home of a Royal Canadian Air Force base. While Zelenskyy works to build up defences again, he is also set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump later this month to discuss the potential of re-starting peace negotiations. Carney says he has spoken to Trump about Canada’s new agreement with Ukraine.
