Prime Minister Justin Trudeau watches as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy takes a salute during a ceremony at Hostomel Airport in Kyiv on Saturday, February 24, 2024. The ceremony marks the second anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)

By Canadian Press

Russo-Ukrainian War

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says ‘weakling’ Putin executed Navalny to crush dissent

Feb 24, 2024 | 1:11 PM

Justin Trudeau wrapped up a surprise trip to war-torn Ukraine with a blistering attack on Vladimir Putin, calling the Russian leader a “weakling” who uses police and the military to crush his opposition.

Speaking with reporters at the end of his visit to the capital Kyiv, Trudeau accused Putin of “executing” opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died unexpectedly a week ago in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence.

Navalny, 47, was roundly considered Putin’s greatest political foe. The Kremlin has rejected allegations that Putin was involved in Navalny’s death, calling them “absolutely unfounded, insolent accusations about the head of the Russian state.”

“I think we know, we’ve seen, repeatedly, the extent to which any opposition in Russia is either marginalized or, quite frankly, executed,” Trudeau said Saturday.

“What happened to Alexei Navalny demonstrates that for all that Putin pretends to be strong, he’s actually a coward,” he continued.

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“To execute one’s political opponents, to quash dissent by using police and military, to make sure there is no opposition is the mark of a weakling, not a mark of someone who is confident in his own position.”

Putin is running for a fifth term as president next month in an election he is all but certain to win. Trudeau launched into his attack on the Russian leader when he was asked whether he would recognize the results of that election.

His remarks were the culmination of a day designed to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s 2022 invasion on Ukraine.

Trudeau signed a new security agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as world leaders gathered in the capital Kyiv.

The agreement is aimed at fortifying both the Ukrainian military and the country’s struggling economy.

It includes some $320 million in new military spending, which is due by the end of the year, and $2.4 billion in loans for Ukraine, to be administered through the International Monetary Fund.

“War isn’t just experienced on the battlefield, it’s lived every day, by everyday people,” Trudeau said of the loans at a news conference in the Ukrainian president’s official residence.

“This money allows roads to be repaired after a bombing. It pays nurses and doctors who keep people healthy, and it supports Ukrainians as they fight back against Russia.”

Trudeau also announced $75 million to help finance the country’s demining efforts and intelligence gathering.

The prime minister spent the day in Kyiv alongside leaders from the European Commission, Italy and Belgium. Absent countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Poland, signalled their allegiance through public statements on social media.

It was part of a global campaign to showcase a politically important display of international solidarity with Ukraine in the face of a plodding, bloody conflict that experts say has no end in sight.

“There will also be ongoing support, over several years, because we are here for the long-term to help Ukraine win a decisive victory against Putin’s unprovoked invasion,” Trudeau said in prepared remarks.

The prime minister also promised $15 million to help complete the Ukrainian National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide in Kyiv.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2024.