SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Support for Ukraine

Honourable senators, I rise today to look back to that terrible day of February 24 four years ago today, the day that Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a day that will live in infamy.

Let us contemplate the destruction that Russia has perpetrated with its illegal and immoral invasion of the free and democratic nation of Ukraine.

First, the lives lost: between 100,000 and 140,000 Ukrainian forces lost and civilian losses, too, with 15,000 killed and 40,000 wounded as of last December. The year 2025 was the deadliest year of all for civilian losses.

And Russia has lost over 300,000 in troop deaths since the full-scale invasion, as Putin uses his own citizens and other conscripts as cannon fodder without remorse or regret.

Russia’s invasion has triggered Europe’s largest forced migration since World War II, with over 10 million Ukrainians displaced from their homes.

There is evidence of multiple crimes and violations committed by Russia and Russian troops: violations of international humanitarian law; violations of international human rights law; and breaches of international criminal law, including the crime of aggression committed when Russia invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine with no justification.

The current situation is deeply troubling. Russia is not winning this war. And although Ukrainians have fought tirelessly over these four years, they cannot push the Russians back without more help.

The instigation of the so-called peace talks by U.S. President Trump exactly one year ago has yielded no resolution to the war, no ceasefire whatsoever, and instead provides cover for Russia to continue its path of destruction. As a supposed ally of Ukraine, Trump has brought little to the table, as he urges Ukraine but not Russia to give in and give up.

What should a real peace agreement look like? It must be grounded in the principles of international law and the principle that all decisions concerning Ukraine must be made with its full participation. It must include robust and binding security guarantees to Ukraine by the U.S., the EU, the transatlantic community and other partners that will prevent and counteract renewed Russian aggression. It must reconfirm that Ukraine has the freedom to choose its own security and political alliances, without limitations on its defence capabilities. Russia must fully compensate Ukraine for all material and immaterial harm it has caused.

Canada must continue our steadfast support for Ukraine, and I, for one, know that Canadians are onside.

Let there not be a fifth year of this war, and let us all look ahead to the day when we can celebrate together a just peace for Ukraine.

Thank you. D’akuju.