President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with representatives of the Ukrainian community in Canada, which in September marks 135 years since the first Ukrainian immigrants arrived in the country.
The meeting was attended by leaders and representatives of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Ukrainian World Congress, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, the Ukrainian War Veterans Association of Canada, the Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada, and other community representatives. Overall, there are more than 1,000 Ukrainian organizations across Canada.
“The community has historically helped Ukraine and Canada have good relations. These relations need to be maintained and, in my view, we must not let them deteriorate. And, of course, it is better to develop them, to develop them strategically, to improve them, and to move forward,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President emphasized that Ukraine-Canada relations are now moving to another, even stronger level. Both strong personal ties between the leaders of the two countries and connections with Canada and the Ukrainian community in the country are important to this effort.
According to the Head of State, the document on a 100-year partnership between Ukraine and Canada, signed by the leaders the day before, is a historic step. Until now, Ukraine had such an agreement only with the United Kingdom. Also important is the new strong defense support package from Canada, which will primarily be used to purchase missiles for Patriot systems.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also stressed that Ukraine and Canada are close to signing the Drone Deal.
“Yesterday, we saw a demonstration of joint Ukrainian-Canadian production. I’m very proud that we have already seen products manufactured by both countries. I saw three such products yesterday, and two of them are already in mass production. I think there is tremendous potential in this area,” the Head of State said.
President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Alexandra Chyczij noted that the agreements reached between Ukraine and Canada now need to be put into practice. The Ukrainian diaspora can help make this happen through its advocacy work. Alexandra Chyczij also thanked the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which are defending not only their homeland but all of Europe and the free world.
President of the Ukrainian World Congress Paul Grod expressed hope that, following the example of Ukrainian Heritage Day in Canada, observed on September 7, a World Ukrainian Day will one day also be established. In addition, Paul Grod noted that Ukraine urgently needs support from Europe and raised the question of how the global Ukrainian community can help.
Yvan Baker, a Canadian Liberal Member of the House of Commons of Ukrainian origin, said that he is constantly working to convince Canadians that Ukraine’s victory is in the interests not only of Ukraine itself, but also of Canada, because Russia could extend its aggression to NATO countries. He asked how this work could be strengthened at the level of the Canadian Parliament.
The President emphasized the importance of continued advocacy for support for Ukraine, first and foremost defense support, and increasing sanctions pressure on Russia so that the aggressor cannot obtain the components it needs from different countries to produce means of aerial terror.
They also discussed Ukraine’s European integration. The President pointed out that the European Union understands the importance of our country because the Ukrainian people are making a major contribution to European security. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine aims to open all negotiating clusters by the end of 2026.
“I believe Canada definitely can and should support the right narrative: Ukraine’s security is the EU and NATO, and the security of the EU and NATO is Ukraine,” the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also added that after the war ends, there will be a major effort to rebuild Ukraine and the assistance of Ukrainians in Canada will be important. In particular, Advisor to the President on Economic Development and former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland is working in this area.
The Ukrainian community in Canada is one of the oldest and largest in the world. According to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, it has more than 1.3 million people.
Ukrainians in Canada have provided substantial humanitarian, financial, and material assistance to Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale aggression. Since the beginning of the war, the Ukrainian community has raised more than C$100 million through an officially registered charitable organization.
