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When Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie visited the Ukrainian city of Irpin this weekend, she saw a city that, had it not been for the war, would have reminded her of some of Toronto’s suburbs.
“Irpin is a city … where young people buy their first house or first apartment and have their first children there,” she said. The currentis Matt Galloway.
“There are usually a lot of strollers, a lot of parks with places for children to play – and what we saw were houses completely demolished, burned by rockets, broken windows.
Jolie accompanied Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Christia Freeland on a surprise visit to Ukraine this weekend.
There, they met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, pledged lasting support for Ukraine and reopened the Canadian embassy in Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attend a press conference after their meeting in Kyiv on May 8, 2022 (Ephraim Lukatsky / Associated Press)
Jolie said it was important for them to reopen the embassy to “show strong sincerity with the Ukrainians as they continue to fight a very difficult battle.”
It was also crucial that this happen before May 9, which marks Russia’s celebration of the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany.
“We knew that there would be a lot of misinformation and propaganda about Vladimir Putin himself and his regime that day,” she said. “We wanted to make sure we were sending a strong message against the tyranny that Putin is trying to impose through Ukraine.
Jolie spoke to Galloway about Canada’s continued support for Ukraine, as well as what will be needed to win the war. Here is part of their conversation.
Given this destruction, what role do you think Canada should play in rebuilding cities like Irpin?
Well, we’re proud to be behind Ottawa [Treaty] of anti-personnel mines and it is important for us to play a role in terms of opportunity [start] to map the location of these mines, providing expertise, [educating] people and helps get rid of them.
This is one of the reasons why our Ambassador Larisa Galadza is returning to Ukraine; to support the ongoing diplomatic conversation, but also to support NGOs and the Ukrainian army, especially in the context of demining.
Deputy Prime Minister Christia Freeland, Jolie, Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Larisa Galadza and Trudeau raised the flag over the Canadian Embassy in Kyiv on May 8. (Murray Brewster / CBC)
In Vladimir Putin’s speech today on the so-called Victory Day, he described it as a struggle for the homeland. This is day 75 of this war. How far is Canada ready to go to help Ukraine and see the end of this war?
Well, we’re already doing a lot, but of course, Matt, it’s not enough. We need to do more, because Ukraine must prevail.
Ukraine is waging an existential war for all democracies, including definitely those in Europe, but also across the Atlantic for us and the United States. That is why it is important that we continue to provide strong and heavy artillery to the Ukrainians, [and] to train them also because they do not always have the right training.
We must also provide expertise and intelligence, and in the meantime we must stifle the Putin regime … through economic coercion with strong sanctions. So at this point, we have announced that we will impose more than 1,500 sanctions on the oligarchs and their families, trying to make sure that key industries in Russia will not be able to continue to operate, including the technology sector in the aerospace sector.
We have banned oil and we have also said that all the assets we confiscate in Canada can … sell them and with the proceeds we can contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine. So we are the first to move forward with such a strong mechanism. Now the United States has followed suit, and at the G7 yesterday, European Union leaders mentioned that they would do the same for Europe.
The US Secretary of Defense said the United States wanted to see a reduction in Russia’s military capabilities. In an interview with Reuters last nightour Prime Minister said: “As a world, we will do everything possible to guarantee this [Putin] What does victory in this war look like?
We know that at the end of this war, once we are able to make sure that Ukraine is strong on the battlefield, that they will be strong at the negotiating table. Because in every conflict it ends with a diplomatic decision.
What does this mean? Does this mean going back to February 24, the day before the war? Is this a victory from a Canadian point of view?
We will work with the Ukrainians on this and they will decide what they think is best for them. But what we do know so far is that Russia is doubling in eastern Ukraine and also in southern Ukraine. And Mariupol … must return to the hands of Ukrainian forces. So we will continue to support them.
In the meantime, we are providing strategic and technical advice to Ukrainian negotiators … and we are both now heading to Germany for the G7.
We will bring … other countries to the table to make sure that there are strong security mechanisms in support of Ukraine in the future. And we connect the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom and bring everyone together at the table. That is my goal for this week.
WATCH: Trudeau Says Putin Responsible for “Disgusting War Crimes”
Putin is responsible for “heinous war crimes,” Trudeau said in Ukraine
During a surprise visit to Ukraine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised additional support for the country amid Russia’s ongoing invasion. 1:00 p.m.
The prime minister said yesterday that Vladimir Putin was responsible for “heinous war crimes”. If you are talking about a negotiated agreement, is it possible to negotiate peace with someone who is accused of war crimes?
Well, there must be responsibility. And this is one of the weakest links in the international rule-based order. We need to strengthen the International Criminal Court. We need to strengthen the International Court of Justice.
Canada is behind the establishment of these accountability mechanisms and institutions. That is why we are petitioning the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice … and we will continue to guarantee not only the investigation of war crimes, but also crimes against humanity and allegations of genocide.
And can he negotiate the end of the war with someone whom the prime minister called a war criminal?
At this point, as I said, the aim is not to negotiate, because we do not believe that the negotiators have the mandate of Vladimir Putin himself to negotiate. We must be strong on the battlefield. Eventually we will reach the negotiating table, but the Ukrainians will be in a position of strength.
Written by Muhammad Rachini. Produced by Karin Marley. Questions and answers edited for length and clarity
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