Canadian Foreign Minister arrives in Ukraine on unannounced visit
Mélanie Joly, Canada's Foreign Minister, has arrived in Ukraine on an unannounced visit.
According to Interfax-Ukraine, Mélanie Joly meets her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.
During a joint press conference with her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, Joly stressed that Canada's support for Ukraine remains unwavering.
Welcome to Ukraine, @MelanieJoly!
Canada is a close friend and ally who provides long-term support.
We focused on Ukraine-Canada free trade, the use of frozen Russian assets, military aid, sanctions, the Peace Formula, and the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia. pic.twitter.com/jZq1cUGdayAdvertisement:— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) February 2, 2024
The Canadian minister noted that Ottawa has so far provided CA$9.5 billion (roughly US$7,1 billion) in assistance to Kyiv, including CA$2.4 billion (roughly US$1.7 billion) in military aid.
Joly also mentioned that since 2014, the Canadian Armed Forces have trained over 40,000 Ukrainian military personnel as part of Operation Unifier.
In addition, Joly pointed out that the two sides are also finalising the process of drafting a free trade agreement between the two countries.
"As we reach the two-year mark since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, our support for Ukraine's independent future remains unwavering. And Ukraine's supporters must stay the course. We cannot afford to lose confidence or waver," the minister said.
Earlier, Joly visited Poland to discuss assistance to Ukraine.
Before that, Ukraine and Canada held another round of talks on a future bilateral agreement on security guarantees in continuation of the joint declaration of support for Ukraine adopted by the Group of Seven countries on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
In mid-January, Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Natalka Cmoc said Canada had submitted a draft security agreement to Ukraine for approval and that negotiations could be completed in a few weeks.
Canada also announced a new package of military assistance to Kyiv and the involvement of Canadian instructors in training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.