Trudeau accused Trump and Republicans of undermining support for Ukraine in Canada

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau

Photo: REUTERS

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed the general trend that has actively spread among right-wing and far-right parties in the West and Europe, as well as Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, for the weakening of the support for Ukraine. Politico writes about this.

This is how Trudeau reacted to the fact that the Conservative Party of Canada in the House of Commons unexpectedly voted this week against the updated free trade agreement with Ukraine. However, the updated agreement was still accepted. But a precedent is a precedent.

The Prime Minister criticized and described as absurd the opposition’s argument that the new agreement would introduce a tax on CO2 emissions in Ukraine; in fact, there is no such wording in the document.

As Politico notes, Ukrainian officials were stunned by the “sudden politicization of the trade deal” in Canada, whose politicians had previously been united in supporting Ukraine. This, in particular, was facilitated by the fact that 1.4 million Canadians of Ukrainian origin live in the country, the second largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world, after Russia.

“The real reason is the rise of the American right under the influence of MAGA, which has caused Canadian conservatives, who used to be some of Ukraine’s strongest supporters, to distance themselves from what Ukraine needs in its time of need.” Trudeau said. .

In the United States, a compromise has not yet been reached among members of Congress on the issue of greater support for Ukraine. Republicans take the toughest position. This partly echoes the position of former President Donald Trump, who insisted on prioritizing domestic issues rather than US international policy.