The Canadian Press
Lee Berthiaume
LVIV, Ukraine—A show of force capped Justin Trudeau’s six-day swing through eastern Europe today, underlining the risks and challenges Canada faces in an increasingly volatile and politically important part of the world.
The prime minister flew into Lviv in western Ukraine before driving to a nearby military base for a first-hand look at the work of 200 Canadian soldiers who have been training the Ukrainian army since last summer.
From a distance, Trudeau, his son, Xavier, and defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance watched through binoculars as a Soviet-era armoured personnel carrier led a group of Canadian and Ukrainian soldiers toward a wooden building.
The air shook as the vehicle’s cannon fired several bursts in quick succession.
The troops then moved away from the vehicle and spread out in a line facing the building.
Four Canadians followed close behind as the eight Ukrainians slowly closed on the building while firing their rifles before placing an explosive inside and setting it off.
The exercise was the type of attack those Ukrainian soldiers soon could be conducting on their own in the east of their country, where the army has been fighting Russian-backed separatists for more than two years.
Nearly 9,500 people have been killed in the conflict, including civilians. Thousands more have been wounded.
Earlier in the day, Trudeau spoke to the soldiers—members of the Valcartier-based Royal 22e Regiment, or Van Doos—about Canada’s role in helping Ukraine in its struggle with Russia, as well as other countries that find their democracies or territory under siege.
“It has been a long time since Canada had to defend our valour and defend our territory,” Trudeau said in French.
“But we need to continue to work with those who are fighting for democracy and their territorial integrity,” he noted.
“It is essential.”
The unanswered question, however, remains just how far Trudeau’s Liberal government, which has declared its commitment to peacekeeping efforts and re-engaging with Russia, are prepared to go when such a fight looms.
Trudeau’s comments in Lviv, as well as remarks he made yesterday in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, suggested a shift in tone—albeit a slight one.
He called Russia’s recent actions in the region “illegitimate” and “illegal,” and voiced strong support for NATO members in eastern Europe as well as Ukraine, despite rampant corruption in Ukraine and its failure to implement parts of a peace deal with Russia and the rebels.
The message may well have been aimed at the 1.2 million Canadians of Ukrainian descent, including the sizable Ukrainian-Canadian delegation that accompanied him in Kyiv and Lviv.
Early in the trip, Trudeau announced Canada would be one of four countries leading NATO battle groups in the Baltics and Poland—a direct response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine and meant to dissuade it from trying to destabilize other parts of eastern Europe.
But despite a personal request from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Trudeau wouldn’t commit to extending the training mission he visited today—a mission that’s due to end next March.
