Zelenskyy thanks Trudeau, accuses Germany of putting economy first

Ukraine’s president once again thanked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his continued support on Wednesday and accused Germany of prioritizing their economy first as he continues his virtual tour.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he spoke with Trudeau the day after he delivered his historic virtual address to the House of Commons on Tuesday and thanked him during the call “for the significant support in the war with Russia.”

A readout of Wednesday’s call says Trudeau commended Zelenskyy’s exceptional courage and leadership, and updated him on the delivery of aid to Ukraine from Canada.

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On Thursday, Zelenskyy acknowledged and thanked Canada for their assistance and aid in recent weeks during his parliamentary address. He also continued to make his pitch to NATO allies to enforce a no-fly zone, asking Canadians to imagine if they were facing Russian missile attacks.

Trudeau announced sanctions against 15 more Russian officials during his introductory speech for the Ukrainian President but said Wednesday that Canada has had to make “heartbreaking decisions” when asked about rejecting the request of enforcing the no-fly zone.

“These are heartbreaking decisions and choices that we have to make,” Trudeau said Wednesday.

The prime minister added a no-fly zone may not prevent the mass destruction inflicted on Ukraine, as he said Russia has moved away from dropping bombs from planes over the country’s airspace toward cruise missiles fired from a distance.

Trudeau will travel to Brussels next week with other world leaders for a special NATO meeting to further discuss support for Ukraine.

Zelenskyy also appeared virtually at the U.S. Capitol one day after his speech to Canadian officials. He again made an impassioned plea for the U.S. and West to provide more help and U.S. President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in military assistance shortly after the address.

Zelenskyy criticizes German support in address to parliament

Zelenskyy addressed Germany’s parliament on Thursday and did not hold back his criticism of the country’s response leading up to the Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian president accused Germany of putting its economy before his country’s security and was critical of the German government’s support for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project meant to bring natural gas from Russia.

Ukraine and others had opposed the project, warning that it endangered Ukrainian and European security.

Zelenskyy also noted Germany’s hesitancy when it came to imposing some of the toughest sanctions on Russia for fear it could hurt the German economy.

The Ukrainian president called on Germany not to let a new wall divide Europe, urging support for his country’s membership of NATO and the European Union.