Students should press their political representatives to provide more support to Ukraine to help fight the ongoing Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday, speaking in person to the University of Toronto. Zelensky said Ukraine needed more weapons, financial support, humanitarian aid and permanent sanctions on Russia. “It is very important for you, students from many other countries, to convey this message to their respective countries to pressure their political administration to give Ukraine what it needs,” he said. “By your actions, do not allow anyone somewhere in the hierarchy of bureaucratic corridors to forget what is happening in Ukraine, to forget the war. “Please do not get tired of the war.” He said students can go to rallies and use social media accounts and social networking with friends to remind people of what has been happening in Ukraine for almost four months. Speaking via video link, Zelenskyy was greeted with standing ovations by about 250 people who attended the event at the University of Toronto’s Munk School. Students at 10 other universities across Canada, including the Universite de Montreal, the University of Alberta, Western University and Dalhousie University, participated virtually. He later answered students’ questions on various topics, including the role of the internet and social media in the war, how international organizations can be improved to prevent similar conflicts, and the future of Ukraine. Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada had pledged $ 1.87 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine, of which $ 1.5 billion had already been delivered to the country. “It’s more than any other country has managed to send to the Ukrainian government’s bank account,” he said. Freeland said democracies, including Canada, could not allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to succeed in his war to overthrow democracy in Ukraine. “I want to tell President Zelensky – and I want to say to Vladimir Putin, who I think probably listens to us as well – that Canada will be there for Ukraine for as long as it takes,” he said. “We will insist. We will not get tired “. University of Toronto President Merrick Gertler said the foundation has a “special relationship” with the Ukrainian president, who visited the campus in 2019 for an international summit on his country’s future. Last month, the university announced a program to welcome more than 200 students whose studies were disrupted by the war. Kateryna Nekhomiazh, a Ukrainian exchange student who was among a group of 20 who arrived in May to study at the University of Toronto, said her family is relatively safe now in the Ukrainian capital. “I do not know when the last time I will talk to them. “There are no troops in Kyiv, but there are bombs,” she said in an interview. She said people in eastern and southern Ukraine, including some of her friends’ families, were struggling to survive. “They are going through very difficult times. “(People) should know it and not forget it,” he said. “Every time I read the news, I watch videos, I’m grateful to God, to the university, to the university, to being safe, but I really want everyone to be safe.” Luis Sanchez, an international relations student at the University of Toronto, said he felt excited and inspired after watching the Ukrainian president speak. “Many people can feel the tiredness of war. “A few months ago it might have been more obvious on the news,” he said. This Canadian Press report was first published on June 22, 2022.
Getting in touch
Do you have questions about the attack in Ukraine? Email [email protected]
Include your name, location, and contact information if you would like to speak to a CTV News reporter. Your comments can be used in a CTVNews.ca story.
