London, Ont., Mayor Ed Holder expressed solidarity with the people of Ukraine and with members of London’s Ukrainian community on Thursday, calling on locals to show support “in the face of Vladimir Putin’s violent acts of aggression and unprovoked war.”
Holder’s message came hours after Russia launched a wide-ranging attack and invasion of Ukraine, hitting cities and bases with airstrikes or shelling, as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee.
Ukraine’s government said Russian tanks and troops rolled across the border in a “full-scale” assault that could rewrite the geopolitical order and whose fallout has reverberated around the world.
“London’s Ukrainian community has always provided immense support and comfort in times of great sorrow and need. It is our turn now to do the same for them,” Holder said in a tweet Thursday afternoon.
“We pray for peace, and we pray for the people of Ukraine. Slava Ukraini. Glory to Ukraine.”
London’s city hall will be draped in blue and yellow light, the colours of Ukraine’s flag, beginning Thursday and continuing through the weekend. The Ukrainian flag has also been raised outside of city hall.
“Our city has a long history and a proud tradition of providing aid and accommodation to those fleeing from war and other crises,” said Deputy Mayor Josh Morgan during Thursday’s scheduled COVID-19 media briefing.
“While immigration and refugee status is under the federal government’s jurisdiction, London does stand ready to play a leading role in assisting our Ukrainian friends and neighbors if and when called upon. In the meantime, we pray for peace and the people of Ukraine.”
Earlier in the day, Ontario Premier Doug Ford described the actions of Russia as a “violent attack on a sovereign nation by a despot, a thug.”
The province says it will provide $300,000 in humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
“We witnessed Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression begin in Ukraine,” Ford told the Ontario legislature, highlighting the contributions Ukrainians have made to Canadian society.
“Canada shall never waver in standing against tyranny. Canada shall never waver in our support of Ukraine.”
Andrea Horwath and Steven Del Duca, the leaders of the Ontario NDP and Ontario Liberals, respectively, echoed Ford’s sentiments.
“I join global leaders and peace-loving people around the world in condemning this unprovoked attack by the Russian Federation and the violent invasion Putin is using to drag people into the horrors of war,” Horwarth said.
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The invasion followed a steady Russian buildup of military forces on its borders with Ukraine and in neighbouring Belarus over the past two months, which had sparked numerous rounds of diplomacy between the Kremlin and the West.
Russian President Vladimir Putin justified his actions in an overnight televised address, asserting that the attack was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine — a claim the U.S. had predicted he would make as a pretext for an invasion.
Putin accused the U.S. and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demands to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and for security guarantees.
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In a tweet late Thursday morning, London’s Ward 6 Councillor Mariam Hamou called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to open Canada’s borders to refugees coming from Ukraine.
“The humanitarian crisis will be a struggle,” she tweeted, “Ukrainians have nowhere to go inside Ukraine – need to step up.”
During a news conference later in the day, Trudeau announced that more severe sanctions would be leveled on Russia and that Ottawa would be prioritizing immigration applications from Ukrainians who want to come to Canada.
As well, Canada was arranging the safe passage of any Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their families still in Ukraine through land borders with Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
The new sanctions will target 58 people and entities connected to Russia, including members of that country’s elite and their families, the paramilitary organization known as the Wagner Group and major Russian banks.
Canada is also cancelling existing export permits for Russia and will not issue new ones. And more sanctions are coming, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.
“President Putin has launched a horrific, unprovoked attack on their country, a sovereign nation, including missile strikes in their capital, Kyiv,” Trudeau told reporters.
“He has needlessly put the lives of innocent people at risk, violated Russia’s international treaties, and launched the greatest threat to European stability since World War Two.”
— with files from Ryan Rocca, the Associated Press and The Canadian Press
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