Canada’s War with Ukraine: Zelensky’s Promise to the American Senate and the Puzzle of the Planned 2019 Ukrainian War
TORONTO — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will speak to the Canadian Parliament on Friday as part of his campaign to bolster support from Western allies for Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion.
Canada has provided more than $8.9 billion Canadian (US$6.6 billion) in support to Ukraine in what Trudeau’s government calls the highest per-capita direct financial support to Ukraine in the Group of 7 industrial nations.
The appetite to send new funds to Ukraine among Congress and the public has waned as the war enters its 20th month. A much-anticipated counteroffensive that began in June is still well short of Ukraine’s stated goals, with just a month or two left before winter sets in.
Biden has asked Congress to approve $24 billion in new aid to Ukraine. The funding has no obvious path to passage in the near term due as Congress nears an end-of-the-month deadline to approve new spending or face a government shutdown.
The American public is divided on the issue of more aid. A CNN poll last month showed that 71% of Republicans oppose new funding while 62% of Democrats support it.
Zelenskyy in Canada: A Day after the United Nations Security Council Terminates the “Sovereign Borders of Nations”
Zelenskyy’s visit comes a day after he urged the UN Security Council to remove Russia as a permanent member. “Humankind no longer pins its hopes on the U.N. when it comes to the sovereign borders of nations,” he said.
Zelenskyy flew to Canada’s capital late Thursday after meetings in Washington. He was speaking at the United Nations.
More than 175,000 Ukrainians have come to Canada since the war started and n additional 700,000 have received approval to come as part of an initiative that supports temporary relocation of those fleeing the war. The initiative allows for an open work permit for three years with pathways to permeant residency and citizenship.