Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy landed in Calgary on Wednesday night ahead of a scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
They are set to meet in the city Thursday morning, and Zelenskyy is to later address a cabinet meeting in the nearby mountain resort town of Banff, Alta.
Carney said the visit will focus on the countries’ shared priorities, including deepening defence, economic and energy co-operation.
“It will also address the human cost of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and build on the strong people-to-people ties that connect our countries,” Carney said in a statement.
“Canada remains steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine’s defence, recovery and reconstruction.”
Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, are also set to visit Toronto and North Bay, Ont., before leaving Friday.
It’s Zelenskyy’s first visit to Canada this year. He was in Halifax in December amid efforts to end the war that Russia started in 2014.
Carney visited Kyiv in August 2025, and his predecessor Justin Trudeau visited Ukraine each year after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Kyiv has suffered a barrage of Russian airstrikes in recent months, and Ukraine has pleaded for more air defence support from its allies.
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Since 2022, Canada has pledged $6.5 billion in military assistance for Ukraine running through to 2029.
Members of Parliament across party lines have put Ukraine at the centre of their foreign policy platforms. In May, Canada joined an agreement to learn from Ukrainian drone producers.
Ottawa has made no new funding announcements for Ukraine since then.
The Kiel Institute, which measures global contributions to Ukraine, pegs Canada as the fourth most generous in raw dollars and in 12th place based on gross domestic product. Canada’s donations include military aid, government financing and humanitarian support.
Ukraine has managed in recent months to hold back Russian advances and strike targets within Russia, including oil refineries and warehouses owned by Russia’s biggest online retailer.
Moscow has at times hinted at an end to the conflict. But Ukrainian and European officials have said the war should only end on terms that prevent Russia from rearming and attacking elsewhere.
Zelenskyy’s visit comes as European leaders argue Russia is widening its war through acts of sabotage, including paying youths to vandalize railways. European airports have had to halt operations several times due to drones attributed to Russia.
Germany last week blamed Russia for what it called an attempted explosive drone attack near a Ukrainian cargo plane at the Leipzig airport.
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Carney called it “an egregious attempt by Russia to weaken our resolve and our collective defence.”
Across Europe, political parties once considered fringe over their support for Russia have seen their popularity increase as the continent tackles economic, environmental and migration crises.
Zelenskyy’s visit also comes at a time of rising domestic pressure on his own government, which was elected in 2019 and cannot call elections due to a constitutional ban on votes during martial law.
In July, Zelenskyy fired both his defence minister and military chief after days of protests. Opponents have accused him in various corruption scandals.
Ukraine has increasingly relied on Canada to advocate for its sovereignty and a just end to the war in various international forums.
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host world leaders in Miami for the G20 summit in December. There are signs he might allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend, despite Putin being subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
The warrant is based on Russia’s abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children in what the court says is a probable war crime.
Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, is to co-host a summit later this month in Toronto about the return of Ukrainian children and prisoners of war.
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Business Matters: Carney announces new sanctions against Russia
Carney is gonna give away our money while we are getting dp’d by Canadian and US tariffs.
So he’s here for another handout and more money from Canadians.
Liberals are sucking this country dry. Bunch of seniors that don’t work and kids that have no understanding of how things work.
Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦
Ukraine sure knows how to fight bigger opponents. We might need that.
You know he’s got his corrupt hand out for more tax payer dollars. (has been most corrupt country in Europe since 90’s). I wonder if an audit of the 27 billion would pass? Absolutely not. Also as far as elections go, he would have to release the opposition leaders from jail he arrested first. West is winning propaganda war but the reality on the ground will tell the tale. This has been a NATO proxy war since the over through of the democratically government in 2014. Russia will not allow NATO expansion on it’s border. I can’t blame them.
It’s not a war,it’s a killing field.
War is active,it moves in one direction or another, it changes its structure is convoluted. WW2 lasted 6 years and it was over but with change.
This is nothing more than a theater of waste where many die and others get rich.It could have been over long ago if Europe and the West were serious about ending it but they are not because it’s not their well being that is a stake.
Judging by the comments herein, it seems that the maple maga crowd is at it again.
As born and bred Albertan, it pains me to once again have the distinguished honor of bestowing on the book burning crowd that the new evangelical doctrine stating that empathy is a sin is a major error.
Considering that our own country is under attack by North America’s version of Putin, Donald J Trump, is right at this moment waging an economic war against us. That includes, unfortunately, includes some of the people comment involved in the obtuse commentary this article received.
To be frank, home schooling should be abandoned as a practice in the country and especially in Alberta.
The ever present spectre of American expansionism is taking shape and Canada is in he gun sights of a madman who has shown that he is beneath contempt. Ladies and gentlemen, we could easily be involved in a shooting war with our one time ally turned imperialist rogue nation.
We may need help from the Ukrainians in the strategy department and drone technology. None of you guys are any use to us at all in that way.
Remember, when you are running down the road screaming and crying while abandoning your wife and kids in an effort to save your own lives and cursing our allies for not making you their number one priority and wondering why you are not, your statements are the reason.
Kicking someone when they are down is really a dumb policy. Keep that in mind friends.
Here for another 5 billion handout. Sorry we’re a broke country
Send him back. Zelenskyy has taken at least $25.8 billion of our tax money.
This war is a complete sham and governments around the world have financed it to the tune of billions of dollars. If Zelenskyy was Russia’s no 1 enemy he would have been taken out by now it would have been so easy but it hasn’t happened which indicates it’s not a real war.
Carney has no role in Ukraine. Distraction from his failings with the USA trade negotiations.
Asking for more money! Last batch must of run out!
Hopefully Putin sends a special delegate, nudge nudge wink wink