Canada has sent back its Ambassador to Ukraine Larisa Galadza to reopen the Kyiv embassy but there’s no word yet on when there will be a full diplomatic restoration in the region.
In an interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play airing Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said consular services will continue out of Poland for the time being.
“We will assess by the day, we’re doing, like other like-minded partners, are doing. For us it was important to bring back our ambassador, bring back a reinforced team also to support the diplomatic work,” she said from Belgium.
Canada shuttered its embassy doors in February, weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine. The government has faced mounting pressure to reinstate it in recent weeks, as many of its allies have done.
Joly was one of several Canadian officials who made a surprise visit to Ukraine over the weekend amid the ongoing invasion.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland were also there to oversee a mostly symbolic Canadian flag raising ceremony at the embassy.
Trudeau also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to offer, in person, Canada’s continued support including more military assistance in the form of drone cameras, satellite imagery, small arms, ammunition and funding for landmine clearing operations.
The visit came ahead of Russia’s recognition of Victory Day, which celebrates the Soviet Union's Second World War victory over Nazi Germany.
Russian President Vladimir Putin marked the day with a speech in Moscow's Red Square, where he sought to justify the war, now in its 11th week.
“The danger was rising by the day,” Putin said. “Russia has given a preemptive response to aggression. It was forced, timely and the only correct decision.”
Responding to his address, Joly said it’s “new lies, that continue with the lies that he’s been saying.”
“We already know that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a failure. Period,” she said.
Canada’s scaled-back diplomatic presence in Kyiv will focus in part on helping to map out land mines, planted by Russian forces in various neighborhoods, Joly said.
“We need to make sure that we educate, that we bring the expertise, and we need to make sure it is safe for families,” she said, adding that these efforts will be done through local non-governmental organizations.
With files from CTV News’ Tom Yun, Paul Workman and The Associated Press.
