Trudeau is pressuring allies to lift Ukraine’s long arms restrictions at the UN – National
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday he was pressing his fellow NATO leaders to support easing restrictions on long-range weapons in Ukraine during his meetings at the United Nations General Assembly this week.
Ukraine has long sought permission to pound deep into Russia with weapons largely supplied by the US, Britain and other allies, despite US President Joe Biden’s concerns about provoking Moscow to further escalate the three-year war.
But a growing number of allies – including Canada – say the restrictions are hampering Ukraine’s ability to win the war and force Russia into peace talks.
Trudeau told reporters outside the UN that he “had a lot of those direct conversations with leaders” during meetings Monday when asked if he was making progress in growing consensus on policy change.
“We need the war to end. We need Ukraine to win this war,” he said.
“That’s why Canada and many others are adamant about ensuring that Ukraine has the tools to defend itself against this illegal invasion, including limiting Russia’s ability to continue attacking Ukraine.”
Trudeau said earlier this month that Ukraine should be allowed to strike Russian territory with Western-supplied weapons, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that lifting long-arms restrictions would draw NATO into direct war with Moscow.
Ukraine and its NATO allies dismissed Putin’s comments as empty threats.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week acknowledged Biden’s concerns about escalation but noted that “not everyone around him thinks so.” He said that if the western allies wait too long to allow the use of long-range missiles, their value will be lost in intelligence.
Zelenskyy included allowing long-term weapons strikes in his long-term victory plan that he will present to Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican President Donald Trump this week during his trip to the US, including the UN.
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Although Ukraine has been able to carry out drone strikes deep in Russia and has developed its own long-range weapons system, it says that weapons supplied by the west – including US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles – can be quickly used to prevent Russian bombing of Ukraine. energy and human infrastructure.
Zelenskyy spoke at a special meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday about Russia’s ongoing attacks on his country, where he said Russia “could be forced to be peaceful.” Zelenskyy is scheduled to speak again at the General Assembly on Wednesday.
Trudeau was scheduled to meet privately with Zelenskyy at the UN on Tuesday.
Ukraine’s future support for the US may be decided in the upcoming US elections, when Harris is running against Trump for the White House. Harris has had enough of Biden’s promise to continue supporting Ukraine until it succeeds in defeating Russia.
Trump repeatedly refused to say he wanted Ukraine to win the war during a debate against Harris earlier this month, and said during a speech in Georgia on Tuesday that he wanted the US to “get out” of the war entirely.
“I think we’re still stuck in that war unless I’m president. I will do it. I’ll get it negotiated, I’ll get out. We have to go out. Biden says, ‘We won’t leave until we win.’ What happens if they win?” Trump said.
Asked Tuesday if he was worried about Trump’s win and its implications for Ukraine, Trudeau said right-wing politicians around the world are tempted to “become victims or do Putin’s lies and disinformation,” citing the Conservatives’ vote against the party. renew the free trade agreement with Ukraine.
“We need to stay strong in Ukraine and in international law, because it’s not just the future of Ukraine that is at stake here, it’s the future of all democracies,” Trudeau said.
The Conservatives said their vote against the Ukraine trade deal was based on wording in the document emphasizing Ukraine’s support for a “carbon price.” Ukraine has the number of carbon emissions since 2012.
The US on Tuesday announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine worth US $ 375 million. The support includes air-to-ground bombs, which have cluster munitions and can be fired by Ukrainian warplanes, as well as High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Javelin and other anti-armor systems, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected. vehicles, bridges and other vehicles and military equipment, according to government officials.
The US has provided more than US$56.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russian troops invaded in February 2022. Canada has provided $4.5 billion in military aid.
Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting in the east, including hand-to-hand combat in the Kharkiv border region where Ukraine has pushed Russia out of a four-month-old auto repair facility in the city of Vovchansk, officials said on Tuesday.
At the same time, Ukrainian troops continue to occupy Russia’s Kursk region after boldly entering there last month.
– in files from the Associated Press and Reuters
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