Trudeau makes surprise visit to Ukraine, meets with Zelensky

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid a surprise visit to Kyiv on Sunday, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and briefly toured a blackened, bombed-out suburban community.

At the same time, he reopened the Canadian Embassy and welcomed the ambassador back to the embattled capital.
The visit came on the same day as Russian missiles pounded the southern port city of Odesa and there was heavy fighting in the eastern part of the country, including around Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine.

Trudeau visited the city of Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv, which was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting in March as Russian forces attempted to storm the capital.

Ukrainian troops effectively halted the advance in the area and pushed back the invasion force.

The prime minister's visit was carried out under a news blackout. However, photos of Trudeau's visit to Irpin were posted on Twitter by the city's mayor, who met with Trudeau.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly are also in Ukraine with the prime minister.