Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made a surprise visit to Kyiv on the same day First Lady Jill Biden and rock band U2 made separate visits to Ukraine.
Trudeau made an unannounced visit Sunday to Irpin, a Kyiv suburb targeted during Russia’s attempt to take the capital, and met Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn, the Associated Press reported.
I’ve just had the honor to meet with the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, who came to Irpin to see with his own eyes all the horror which Russian occupants have caused to our town,’ Markushyn said on his Telegram channel.
Markushyn posted pictures of Trudeau walking around with Ukrainian army chiefs and surveying the damage at a bombarded apartment complex. The mayor said that the Canadian leader was shocked by the damage he saw at civilian homes.
Trudeau’s office said in a statement: ‘The prime minister is in Ukraine to meet with President Zelensky and reaffirm Canada’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people.’
Trudeau flew on Saturday night and is expected to spend one day in Ukraine, The Toronto Star reported.
Canada, as other NATO allies, has show its support for Ukraine by sending billions in aid and weapons as the Russian invasion enters its tenth week.
Trudeau’s government has experienced mounting pressure to reopen the Canadian embassy in Kyiv after it was closed in February when the war started.
On Sunday, he joined several other world leaders including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who have recently been to Kyiv after Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal deemed it safe to host political visits.
Jill Biden also made a visit on Sunday to the war-torn country, where she met her Ukrainian counterpart Olena Zelensky and expressed American support for the embattled nation.
The visit wasn’t announced due to security reasons. The first lady traveled by vehicle to the town of Uzhhorod, about a 10-minute drive from a Slovakian village that borders Ukraine. She spent about two hours in Ukraine.
Biden gave Zelensky, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a bouquet of flowers. This is the first time Zelensky has appeared in public since February 24, the date that Russia invaded. The two first ladies have exchanged correspondences in the last few weeks, the White House said.
The first ladies visited a public school in Uzhhorod that is being used as temporary housing and shelter for 163 displaced Ukrainians, including 47 children.
President Joe Biden has said he would like to visit the Ukraine but is not allowed – likely due to security reasons.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been the most high-profile members of the administration to date to visit the Ukraine. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress also have visted and met with President Zelensky in Kyiv.