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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy landed in Calgary on Wednesday evening ahead of a scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
They are scheduled to meet in the city on Thursday morning, and Zelenskyy will then address a cabinet meeting in the nearby mountain resort town of Banff, Alta.
Carney said the visit would focus on the two countries’ shared priorities, including deepening defense, economic and energy cooperation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska follow the coffin carrying King Harald V of Norway as it is carried in procession from Oslo Cathedral to the palace chapel at Akershus Castle in Oslo, Norway, Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Christoffer Andersen/Pool Photo via AP).
“It will also address the human costs of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and build strong people-to-people ties that connect our countries,” Carney said in a statement.
“Canada remains steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine’s defense, recovery and reconstruction.”
Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, are also scheduled to visit Toronto and North Bay, Ont., before leaving on Friday.
This is 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 every year after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Kyiv has experienced a barrage of Russian airstrikes in recent months, and Ukraine has requested more air defense support from its allies.
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Since 2022, Canada has pledged $6.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine until 2029.
Members of Parliament across party lines have put Ukraine at the center of their foreign policy platforms. In May, Canada joined an agreement to learn from Ukrainian drone manufacturers.
Ottawa has made no new funding announcements for Ukraine since then.
The Kiel Institute, which measures global contributions to Ukraine, ranks Canada as the fourth most generous country in terms of raw dollars and 12th by gross domestic product. Canada’s contribution includes military assistance, government funding, and humanitarian support.
Ukraine has in recent months successfully held back Russian advances and attacked targets in Russia, including oil refineries and warehouses belonging to Russia’s largest online retailer.
Moscow has at times signaled an end to the conflict. But Ukrainian and European officials say the war should only end if Russia does not rearm and attack elsewhere.
Zelensky’s visit comes as European leaders argue that Russia is expanding its war through acts of sabotage, including paying youths to damage railway lines. European airports have had to halt operations several times because of drones linked to Russia.
Germany last week blamed Russia for what it said was an explosive attempted drone attack near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig airport.
Carney called it “an egregious attempt by Russia to undermine our collective resolve and defense.”
Across Europe, political parties once considered marginalized for their support of Russia are seeing a surge in popularity as the continent deals with economic, environmental and migration crises.
Zelensky’s visit also comes at a time of increasing domestic pressure on his own government, which was elected in 2019 and cannot hold elections due to a constitutional ban on voting during martial law.
In July, Zelenskyy fired his defense minister and military chief after days of protests. Opponents accuse him of being involved in various corruption scandals.
Ukraine is increasingly relying on Canada to advocate for its sovereignty and a just end to the war in various international forums.
US President Donald Trump will host world leaders in Miami for the G20 summit in December. There are signs he may allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend, even though Putin is subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
The warrant was based on Russia’s abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children that the court said constituted a possible war crime.
Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign minister, will co-host a summit later this month in Toronto on the return of Ukrainian children and prisoners of war.
© 2026 Canadian Press
