Zelenskiy To Visit Canada In July To Attend Ukraine Reform Conference

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is scheduled to travel to Canada early next month to take part in a major donor conference and hold talks with top Canadian officials.

The Ukrainian presidential office said in a statement that during his July 1-3 visit, Zelenskiy will hold meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, members of parliament, and business representatives.

Zelenskiy with also attend the Ukraine Reform Conference in Toronto, which is due to run from July 2 to July 4.

Co-hosted by Canada and Ukraine, the gathering will bring together more than 300 people, including foreign ministers, heads of international institutions, and civil society activists to discuss and support Ukraine's reform process.

Zelenskiy was inaugurated as president on May 20. His visit to Canada will come ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Ukraine set for July 21.

On the sidelines of the Toronto conference, Zelenskiy and Trudeau will discuss "Ukraine’s reform efforts on its path to Euro-Atlantic integration, the security situation in the region, and how to further deepen Canada-Ukraine commercial relations," according to a statement by the Canadian prime minister's office.

The two countries "share a deep and historic friendship built on shared values and strong people-to-people bonds," Trudeau said.

During his meeting with Zelenskiy, Trudeau said he will "reaffirm Canada's commitment to the Ukrainian people, and discuss ways to deepen our economic partnership and create good, middle class jobs in both of our countries."

Since 2015, Canadian armed forces have trained more than 12,000 members of the Ukrainian Army as part of Canada’s military training mission in Ukraine, UNIFIER, according to the statement.

More than 1.3 million Canadians are said to trace their ancestry to Ukraine.

With reporting by dpa