According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canada has made a decisive contribution to Ukraine’s defense capability with years of military training.
“I can’t overemphasize that: Canada saved Ukraine in the first few days,” von der Leyen said in an address to parliament in Ottawa yesterday during her first official visit as commission chief to the North American country.
“You understood the importance of what was happening in Ukraine before many others, including many Europeans,” von der Leyen said, addressing the Canadians. By starting military training for Ukrainian soldiers after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, Canada made a decisive contribution to Ukraine’s defense capability at the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Von der Leyen also thanked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his cooperation in assisting the country under attack. “Everything we did for Ukraine, we did together.”
