Canadian PM addresses Ukraine parliament 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has addressed Ukraine’s parliament during an unannounced trip to war-time Kyiv.

Trudeau was applauded at length as he spoke in parliament for 25 minutes, denouncing the Russian invasion and praising Ukraine’s democratic development.

He said Ukraine’s resistance was about “the future of us all. You are the tip of the spear that is determining the future of the 21st century.”

Zelenskiy said Ukraine was grateful to Canadians for their support and extended thanks.

Trudeau announced $500 million in new military aid for Ukraine as it girds for a counteroffensive against Russian forces and grapples with regular air strikes.

He also paid his respects at a memorial to Ukrainian soldiers killed fighting pro-Russian forces since 2014.

“Canada supports Ukraine to become a NATO member as soon as conditions allow for it. Ukraine and Canada look forward to addressing these issues at the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July 2023,” said a joint declaration adopted after the talks.

The Canadian prime minister was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, a Ukrainian speaker.

As Trudeau visited Kyiv, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced that a Russian-registered Antonov-124 cargo plane was seized at Toronto’s airport, Ottawa’s first such seizure of an asset aimed at putting pressure on Moscow.