Ten years of Russian occupation in Crimea: Trudeau says peninsula remains part of Ukraine
According to an Ukrinform correspondent, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this in a statement on the tenth anniversary of Russia's illegal occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea.
"Ten years ago, Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine, a free and sovereign country. Through a brutal and illegal campaign, he tried to annex Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. Today, as Russia attempts to seize more of Ukraine's territory, we reaffirm our support to the Ukrainian people and their right to determine their own future," Trudeau said.
In his opinion, Russia's invasion of Crimea was more than an attack on Ukraine.
"It was an attack on the rules-based international order and the shared values we hold dear as Canadians. Putin violated the United Nations Charter – the bedrock of our international system – and held a sham 'referendum' to try and legitimize his actions. What followed was mass oppression against those living in the region, particularly against the Crimean Tatars," Trudeau said.
He recalled that following the illegal annexation of Crimea, Canada introduced sweeping and comprehensive sanctions against Russia and launched the UNIFIER training operation, training more than 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers since 2015. In addition, Canada has provided billions of dollars in loans and military assistance as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and assistance to help Ukraine defend itself.
"Today is a reminder that Russia's war against Ukraine did not start on February 24, 2022 – it started a decade ago. As Putin still tries to redraw the map as he pleases, we remain unequivocally clear: Ukraine's territory will remain Ukraine's, and we will stand with Ukrainians for as long as it takes. Slava Ukraini!" Trudeau said.
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Canada has provided almost $2 billion in military aid to Ukraine. The total amount of Canadian aid to Ukraine, including humanitarian and financial aid, has exceeded $7.5 billion since the start of 2022.
