Kyiv [Ukraine], September 23: Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky suddenly arrived in Canada after a trip to the US, in an effort to seek support from North American countries.
CTV News on September 22 reported that Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky came to Canada on an unannounced visit, continuing diplomatic efforts to seek more support in North America. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came out to welcome Mr. Zelensky when he got off the plane in the capital Ottawa on the evening of September 21 (local time).
Canada is home to the second largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world after Russia, with about 1.36 million people. To date, Canada has provided Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, air defense systems, artillery, anti-tank weapons and other equipment.
It is expected that Mr. Zelensky will officially hold talks with Mr. Trudeau and speak at the Canadian Parliament on September 22 (local time).
The US President reassured
Previously in Washington DC, President Zelensky called on US lawmakers to continue supporting Ukraine, amid some skepticism from the Republican Party. According to Reuters, at a bilateral meeting on September 21, US President Joe Biden reassured his Ukrainian counterpart of Washington's strong support. "Mr. President, we are with you," Mr. Biden said and shook Mr. Zelensky's hand after 2 hours of talks. Ukraine's President thanked the US for a new military aid package worth $325 million and said the two sides agreed on measures to expand Ukraine's grain exports. In addition, Mr. Zelensky said the two sides reached a long-term agreement on joint weapons production, helping Kyiv begin producing air defense systems. On September 21, the Pentagon said the US would send Abrams tanks to Ukraine "in the next few days and weeks".
Meanwhile, Fox News quoted US Senator Rand Paul, who often opposes foreign aid, criticizing the Kyiv government and saying that the war in Ukraine will not end soon. CNN quoted sources as saying that some Republican leaders in the US Congress are considering cutting aid to Ukraine because some lawmakers oppose it.
However, White House spokesman John Kirby affirmed that the government still receives strong support from Congress, especially at the leadership level.
Responding to the US providing Ukraine with air defense systems and cluster munitions, TASS on September 22 quoted a statement from the Russian Embassy in the US criticizing that Washington is ready to send the most dangerous weapons to Kyiv to "maintain the war". counterattack failed". The statement said that Western efforts could not change the situation on the ground, and announced that Russia's military campaign would continue until all set goals were achieved.
Ukraine breakthrough?
Commenting on the war situation, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW-USA) said that images on September 21 showed that Ukrainian armored vehicles had reached the south of the anti-tank trenches in Zaporizhzhia, southeastern Ukraine. Accordingly, this force has overcome three layers of Russian defense and is fighting in the area west of Verbove village, south of Zaporizhzhia. The Kyiv Independent page quoted ISW's assessment that these are the most important signs of Ukraine's progress in the counter-attack campaign.
At the front in Donetsk, TASS reported on September 22 that Russian artillery forces repelled the advance efforts of Ukrainian units in the direction of Lyman City, after Ukrainian forces unsuccessfully probed the Torskoye areas. ,Nevskoye, Ternoye and Novoogorovka. In another development, the Russian Ministry of Defense said yesterday that the country's air defense force destroyed 1 missile and 2 drones from Ukraine that approached Crimea. Ukraine and Russia have not commented on the above information from each other.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper