President of the European Commission Ursula von der LeyenAddressing the Canadian Parliament during a visit to bolster support for Ukraine, he said Europe would not acquiesce to Russian threats: “We will never accept its tanks of imperial delusions marching across an international border,” he said in his speech. He added that the alliance between 27 countries “will never accept this threat to the security of Europe and the foundations of our international community.” Von der Leyen urged “firm military and economic support” for Ukraine, and renewed calls for Russia to “pay the price for the crime of aggression” after proposing in November that a specialized tribunal be set up to try such crimes.
On the eve of International Women’s Day, von der Leyen also paid tribute to Ukrainian female soldiers who were excluded from combat missions before the conflict, but “didn’t care and started joining the army anyway. This is not just a war in Ukraine. “It’s also a war on human rights, and it’s a war on women’s rights,” she said to applause, citing United Nations allegations that “Russia is using rape and sexual violence as part of its military strategy in Ukraine.” Ukrainian women are “fighting”, she said, noting that the number of those serving in the army has doubled since the start of the conflict. “These women also broke the glass ceiling over the heads of the Russian invaders.”
Before his speech, during a visit to a Canadian military base, von der Leyen and the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau They have pledged to supply generators to Ukraine, which has been repeatedly attacked on its power grid. Trudeau also announced the extension to October of Canada’s mission to train Ukrainian combat engineers in Poland, which is expected to end soon, as well as the deployment of medical trainers.
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