By Canadian Press

New Ukraine president, and former actor, to meet Trudeau in Toronto

Jun 25, 2019 | 10:50 AM

OTTAWA — Ukraine’s new president will visit Toronto next week for a major international conference on his country’s future that Canada is hosting, and where he will meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau’s office says he and Volodymyr Zelenskiy will discuss Ukraine’s reform efforts and its path toward integration with Europe.

Zelenskiy, a popular actor and comedian but a political neophyte, ran away with this spring’s presidential election, unseating Petro Poroshenko.

He is now tasked with guiding his country through its ongoing conflict with Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014 and fomented a pro-Kremlin insurgency in the country’s east that has left more than 13,000 dead.

The Ukraine Reform Conference is a three-day gathering that begins Tuesday in Toronto, which the government says will include key international friends and partners to support Ukraine.

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: John Horgan had 'the gift'

17h ago

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: New 'iconic' Kamloops tourist attraction in development

Nov 13, 2024

Question of the Week

Would you be inconvenienced by a postal strike?

Nov 12, 2024

Trudeau says in a statement that he wants to use the meeting with Zelenskiy to reaffirm Canada’s deep commitment to the Ukrainian people.

The Canadian Press