Putin is to blame for 'devastation' in Ukraine, Trudeau says upon return

Back in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that what he saw touring war-torn areas of Ukraine this weekend was evidence of communities defending themselves, but also "devastation" that he says is "all on" Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"What I saw, was communities that defended themselves against being outnumbered eight to one, the local militia, the local police officers and firefighters who joined the local militia, were able to prevent Russia's attack not just on Irpin, but on Kyiv behind them," Trudeau told reporters on his way into a cabinet meeting in Ottawa on Tuesday morning.

"The fact that they were able to stop the Russians in their tracks there was a good and big thing. The reality is, there is going to still be a lot of work de-mining those apartments and those communities before Ukrainians can return to their homes. This war has caused devastation and that's all on Vladimir Putin," Trudeau said.

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On Sunday, as part of an unannounced visit to Ukraine, Trudeau was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly. They began their visit touring the devastation in the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, which was bombarded before Russian forces retreated.

Throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Canadian government has been calling out Putin and his regime for their unjustified attacks, have been issuing sanctions on a rolling basis, and have sent RCMP investigators to the International Criminal Court to assist in their probe of possible war crimes.

While in Ukraine, Trudeau announced the reopening of the Canadian embassy in Kyiv. To mark the reopening, he participated in a Canadian flag-raising ceremony at the embassy alongside Canada's Ambassador to Ukraine Larisa Galadza. However, the building is not yet offering consular services.

Asked Tuesday how long it will take before assistance can be sought on the ground in Ukraine, Trudeau couldn't say.

"It is extremely important that, once again, Canada establishes this diplomatic presence in Ukraine. That's why it was so important to raise the flag, to have the ambassador back working out of the embassy. But the reality is, most of our services — consular services and others — will continue to be done by other embassies around the world in support of Ukraine," Trudeau said.

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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.

"We look forward to getting the Ukrainian embassy back up to speed to full services, but for now, it's really more about just having that presence on the ground, and we will scale up," Trudeau said.

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With files from CTV News' Sarah Turnbull, Tom Yun, and Paul Workman