Zelenskyy in Canada to Press for Air-Defence and Winter Support
Zelenskyy is in Canada for talks with Carney, seeking help to shield Ukraine's skies and prepare for winter amid continued Russian strikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Canada for talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney, the latest stop in a series of foreign visits aimed at securing continued backing for Ukraine's defence against Russia's invasion.
Zelenskyy landed in Calgary, Alberta, on Wednesday night. The trip followed a delay on his previous leg, when his flight from Moldova to Norway was held up after Moldovan authorities shut the country's airspace because of a drone incursion.
In a social media post, Zelenskyy said the discussions in Canada would centre on "supporting Ukraine in protecting our skies and preparing for the winter," adding that the two sides would look at ways to strengthen Ukrainian resilience, support its people and ensure the country has the capabilities it needs to defend itself.
Ukraine is under sustained pressure from Russia's air campaign, which has employed ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to penetrate its defences. Ukrainian officials say Moscow's strikes have been directed at the power grid ahead of the coming winter as part of a push to demoralise civilians.
Diplomatic efforts led by the United States have yet to produce a significant breakthrough in the war, now in its fifth year, though talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations brokered by Washington are expected to resume.
The drone war between the two countries has expanded steadily since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Ukraine's neighbours Romania and Moldova reporting repeated incursions into their airspace.
On Thursday, local officials said a Ukrainian sea drone struck the waterfront in the Russian city of Sochi, wounding 28 people, including two children, and damaging beach infrastructure. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces downed 448 Ukrainian drones overnight across 13 Russian regions, the annexed Crimean peninsula and the Black and Caspian seas. In Russia's southwestern Voronezh region, Governor Alexander Gusev said falling debris from a Ukrainian drone set a house on fire, killing one woman and injuring two others.