After an unexpected visit to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered new weaponry and equipment for the country on Sunday.

Trudeau, speaking at a news conference following meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, also announced further penalties against Russian persons and businesses in connection with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

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“Today, I’m announcing more military assistance, drone cameras, satellite imagery, small arms, ammunition, and other support, including funding for demining operations,” Trudeau said.

“And we’re bringing forward new sanctions on 40 Russian individuals and five entities, oligarchs and close associates of the regime in the defence sector, all of them complicit in Putin’s war,” he said in a dig at Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trudeau paid a visit to Irpin, a hamlet south of Kyiv that was the site of heavy clashes between Ukrainian and Russian troops before the Russians retreated late in March.

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He stated that Canada would reopen its embassy in Kyiv.

Canada was also donating $25 million to the United Nations World Food Programme as part of its efforts to ensure food security, and it planned to eliminate trade tariffs on all Ukrainian imports to Canada beginning next year.

“I’ve just had an honor to meet with the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, who came to Irpin to see with his own eyes all the horror which Russian occupiers have caused to our town,” mayor Oleksandr Markushyn stated, on his Telegram channel.

He shared a photo of Trudeau standing on a street with demolished and burned-out apartment complexes in the backdrop.

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Following Moscow’s February 24 invasion, the Russian military took Irpin, but Ukrainian forces reclaimed control. The village has been a combat hotspot near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Canada, like other Western countries, has placed extensive economic sanctions on Russia and provided military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

The Liberal administration of Justin Trudeau has also established a unique programme for Ukrainians and their families to seek for a temporary resident visa.