Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement on Sept. 9 in response to the "sham elections" held by Russia in occupied regions of Ukraine.
"Canada does not, and will not ever, recognize the results of these sham elections or Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of Ukraine," the statement reads. “These sham elections are serious violations of international law, including the United Nations Charter...Putin will not redraw the map as he pleases, and Ukraine’s territory shall remain Ukraine’s."
The illegal elections in occupied territories, which began on Aug. 31 and are scheduled to end on Sept. 10, come nearly a year after Russia held sham annexation referendums in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Luhansk, and Donetsk oblasts, which Moscow only partially controls, and nine years after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
Earlier this summer, at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced 541 million Canadian dollars ($410 million) in aid to support Ukraine and strengthen transatlantic security.
The new package built upon the already provided support, such as training for Ukrainian soldiers, and addresses specific requests from Ukraine like drone cameras. The prime minister's office noted that the latest package builds on already provided aid since February 2022, amounting to over $6 billion.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
