European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, visiting Canada’s parliament to bolster support for Ukraine, said Europe would not bow to Russian threats: “We will never accept that a military power with imperial fantasies should their tanks are marching across an international border,” he said in his speech. The alliance of 27 nations, he added, “will never accept this threat to European security and the very foundations of our international community.” Von der Leyen called for “firm military and economic support” for Ukraine and again urged Russia to “pay for its crime of aggression” after proposing in November to set up a specialized court to prosecute such crimes.
On the eve of International Women’s Day, von der Leyen also commended Ukrainian servicewomen who were banned from combat duty before the conflict but “didn’t mind and joined 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 allegations by the United Nations 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 women serving in the army has doubled since the conflict began. “These women also broke the glass ceiling directly over the heads of the Russian invaders.”
Before his speech, during a visit to a Canadian military base, von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to supply generators to Ukraine, whose power grid has been repeatedly attacked. Trudeau also announced the extension of Canada’s mission to train Ukrainian combat engineers in Poland until October, which is expected to conclude soon, as well as the deployment of medical instructors.