KYIV, Ukraine: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was responsible for “war crimes,” during a visit to Ukraine where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“It is clear that Vladimir Putin is responsible for heinous war crimes,” Trudeau said at a news conference with the Ukrainian leader, adding that “there must be accountability” and that he had “witnessed firsthand the brutality of Russia’s illegal war.”
Justin Trudeau also made an unannounced visit on Sunday to the Ukrainian town of Irpin, which was retaken from Russian troops in late March after fierce fighting, the town’s mayor said on Telegram.
“I’ve just had an honor to meet with the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, who came to Irpin to see with his own eyes all the horror which Russian occupiers have caused to our town,” Oleksandr Markushyn said on his Telegram channel.
He posted a picture showing Trudeau standing on a street with destroyed and burned apartment buildings in the background.
The Russian military occupied Irpin following Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion but Ukrainian forces seized back control. The town has been one of the hotspots of fighting near the capital Kyiv.
Canada, like other Western nations, has imposed broad economic sanctions on Russia and sent military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Trudeau’s Liberal government has also created a special scheme for Ukrainians and their families to apply for a temporary resident visa.