OTTAWA -- Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Wednesday Canada needs to remain steadfast in its support of Ukraine, as the country marked its Independence Day and the six-month anniversary of Russia's invasion.
Joly said Canada will "be there" for Ukraine by sending more heavy artillery, humanitarian aid, and financial support for the Ukrainian government, which she said is in a "dire state." She reiterated the need to support the country, especially as the war continues.
"Well, obviously it is a grim anniversary today, but it is important there be no war fatigue," Joly told CTV's Your Morning. "We need to make sure that we double down in supporting Ukraine, that we never forget that the people that are in Ukraine right now are fighting for their freedom, but are [also] fighting for our own freedom."
"What is happening in Ukraine is linked to Europe's security, and Europe's security is also our security," she added. "That's why we need to be steadfast in our support."
Speaking about Canada's latest round of sanctions against Russia, Joly said that 62 more Russian officials have been added to the list, including Maria Alexeyevna Lvova-Belova, Russia's presidential commissioner for children's rights, because of her alleged involvement in abductions of Ukrainian children by Russia.
Joly also reiterated the RCMP has been working with the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice to investigate possible war crimes, including cases of Ukrainian children being abducted and taken to Russia without family reunification plans.
"Our goal is to make sure that there is accountability, and that we go before international courts," she said.
Ukrainian MP Yevheniya Kravchuk told CTV News Channel on Wednesday that this year is a stark contrast to last year’s 30th anniversary celebrations, which featured concerts and parades. Instead, she said, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cancelled the celebrations this year due to safety concerns, and the day was filled with the sounds of air sirens.
Zelenskyy later said, in a video address to the United Nations Security Council, that at least 15 people were killed and 50 wounded today after Russian forces launched a rocket attack on a train station in Chaplyne, in central Ukraine.
Kravchuk said she’s thankful for the Ukrainian armed forces and volunteers who have held the Russian army back all these months, and that she wants the world to “be as brave as Ukrainians right now.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also marking Ukraine’s Independence Day, and listed the economic aid, military equipment, and training of Ukraine’s military as ways Canada has supported the country during the war.
"The relationship between Canada and Ukraine is built upon generations of people-to-people ties," Trudeau said in a press release Wednesday. "Nearly 1.4 million people of Ukrainian descent live in Canada today — the second largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world. Canada was also the first Western country to recognize Ukraine's independence, and we have worked alongside the people of Ukraine to help build a safe, democratic, and prosperous country ever since. The bonds uniting our peoples are unbreakable."
Trudeau added that Canada's Parliament buildings will be lit up in the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag to mark the 31st anniversary of the country's independence from the former Soviet Union.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland also marked the occasion, in a video she posted to Twitter, speaking Ukrainian.
“We are extremely proud of you, we believe in your victory and Canada will be with you to the very end,” she said in the video, addressed to Ukrainians, and captioned in English. “Glory to Canada! Glory to Ukraine!”
A press release by Global Affairs Canada states the Canadian government will continue to support Ukraine becoming a member of the European Union, and "support international efforts to hold Russia accountable for its invasion."
Conservative Party of Canada interim leader Candice Bergen also voiced her support for Ukraine Wednesday, and called on the Liberal government to reverse its decision to go against its own sanctions by returning a Russia-owned gas turbine to Germany.
Other world leaders — including several from NATO member countries — have also voiced their support for Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced this week nearly $3 billion in aid to Ukraine, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to Kyiv to mark Independence Day.
Meanwhile, Trudeau and visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also announced more money for Ukraine: on Tuesday, the two pledged $3.85 million for two projects to support Ukraine’s security sector institutions.
With files from The Associated Press
