Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Canada | CBC News

Visit comes as Ukraine grapples with barrage of devastating air strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Canada this week for his first visit to the country in nearly a year as his country copes with an onslaught of deadly airstrikes.  

Zelenskyy will be in the country from Wednesday to Friday and attend events in Calgary, Toronto and North Bay alongside his wife, Olena Zelenska, says a statement from Prime Minister Mark Carney. 

"The visit underscores Canada's continued leadership in supporting Ukraine and reflects our unwavering commitment to a just and lasting peace," Carney said in the statement. 

The visit will focus on "shared priorities" between Canada and Ukraine, including deepening defence, economic and energy co-operation, Carney's statement said. 

"It will also address the human cost of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and build on the strong people-to-people ties that connect our countries." 

The statement doesn't say when or where Zelenskyy is expected to arrive in Canada, but the prime minister's itinerary says he is meeting with Zelenskyy in Calgary on Thursday morning. The two leaders will participate in a signing ceremony and hold a news conference afterwards. 

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The Ukrainian president announced that he was travelling to Canada in a social media post on Wednesday, but did not say what city he was flying into. 

Zelenskyy's most recent visit to Canada was last December, where he met with Carney in Halifax before travelling to the U.S. for talks focused on ending the Russia-Ukraine war. 

Carney visited Kyiv last August in his first official visit to the country, where he reiterated Canada's support for Ukraine and unveiled details of an additional $2 billion in military aid.