Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy landed in Calgary on Wednesday night ahead of a scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney. They are set to meet in the city Thursday morning, and Zelenskyy is to later address a cabinet meeting in the nearby mountain resort town of Banff, Alta. Carney said the visit will focus on the countries’ shared priorities, including deepening defence, economic and energy co-operation. “It will also address the human cost of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and build on the strong people-to-people ties that connect our countries,” Carney said in a statement. “Canada remains steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine’s defence, recovery and reconstruction.” Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, are also set to visit Toronto and North Bay, Ont., before leaving Friday. It’s Zelenskyy’s first visit to Canada this year. He was in Halifax in December amid efforts to end the war that Russia started in 2014. Carney visited Kyiv in August 2025, and his predecessor Justin Trudeau visited Ukraine each year after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Kyiv has suffered a barrage of Russian airstrikes in recent months, and Ukraine has pleaded for more air defence support from its allies. Since 2022, Canada has pledged $6.5 billion in military assistance for Ukraine running through to 2029. Members of Parliament across party lines have put Ukraine at the centre of their foreign policy platforms. In May, Canada joined an agreement to learn from Ukrainian drone producers. Ottawa has made no new funding announcements for Ukraine since then. The Kiel Institute, which measures global contributions to Ukraine, pegs Canada as the fourth most generous in raw dollars and in 12th place based on gross domestic product. Canada’s donations include military aid, government financing and humanitarian support. Ukraine has managed in recent months to hold back Russian advances and strike targets within Russia, including oil refineries and warehouses owned by Russia’s biggest online retailer. Moscow has at times hinted at an end to the conflict. But Ukrainian and European officials have said the war should only end on terms that prevent Russia from rearming and attacking elsewhere. Zelenskyy’s visit comes as European leaders argue Russia is widening its war through acts of sabotage, including paying youths to vandalize railways. European airports have had to halt operations several times due to drones attributed to Russia. Germany last week blamed Russia for what it called an attempted explosive drone attack near a Ukrainian cargo plane at the Leipzig airport. Carney called it “an egregious attempt by Russia to weaken our resolve and our collective defence.” Across Europe, political parties once considered fringe over their support for Russia have seen their popularity increase as the continent tackles economic, environmental and migration crises. Zelenskyy’s visit also comes at a time of rising domestic pressure on his own government, which was elected in 2019 and cannot call elections due to a constitutional ban on votes during martial law. In July, Zelenskyy fired both his defence minister and military chief after days of protests. Opponents have accused him in various corruption scandals. Ukraine has increasingly relied on Canada to advocate for its sovereignty and a just end to the war in various international forums. U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host world leaders in Miami for the G20 summit in December. There are signs he might allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend, despite Putin being subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. The warrant is based on Russia’s abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children in what the court says is a probable war crime. Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, is to co-host a summit later this month in Toronto about the return of Ukrainian children and prisoners of war. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2026 Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press
