Disinformation, terror, and a summit: what’s happening in Ukraine, and what Canada can do to restore peace

On April 26, National Defence Minister Bill Blair announced that Canada would donate $3-million to Ukraine for the production of drones by Ukraine’s domestic defence industry. This assistance is coupled with an additional contribution of approximately $13-million to the Czech Republic’s initiative to deliver large-calibre ammunition for Ukraine. These announcements come at a crucial time for Ukraine’s resistance as Russian forces are stepping up their pressure on the eastern front. To understand the context and implications of these events, let's review the key events that have happened in recent months, and outline the milestones to anticipate. In recent months, the frontline has not changed significantly. The delay in United States military support for Ukraine—which was finally approved in April and will strengthen the Ukrainian Armed Forces—posed a problem, resulting in the shortage of ammunition and, likely, forcing Ukrainian forces to withdraw from the town of Avdiivka. At the same time, the Russian-invading force was able to achieve these advances at a huge human cost, something that a state caring for its citizens and its military could never afford. To drum up an increasingly less enthusiastic public support for its unlawful and unprovoked war of aggression, the Kremlin has launched massive disinformation campaigns against Ukraine. On March 22, despite numerous warnings from foreign governments ranging from the United States to Iran, Russia failed to prevent the Islamic State’s terror attack in the Crocus City Hall near Moscow, which claimed more than 140 lives. Instead of holding its security services accountable for this apparent failure, the Russian leadership ridiculously accused Ukraine's government of facilitating the attack. Russia’s Federal Security Service claimed that the terrorists planned to flee to Ukraine even though a heavily fortified border with Ukraine is perhaps the last place where terrorists would like to hide. The Russian propaganda does not stop there. Another important campaign worth noting is an operation aimed at undermining the legitimacy of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to these false claims, after May 20, if presidential elections are not held, Zelenskyy will no longer be legitimate. Never mind that Ukraine's Constitution explicitly allows him to serve as president until the end of martial law, that Ukraine cannot hold elections precisely because of Russia's terror attacks, that it is Russian authorities that are recognized by the international community as illegitimate. To reinforce the effect of its propaganda, Russia has recently unleashed a full-scale terror attack on Ukrainian civilians. Each day brings either civilians’ deaths or attacks on the energy infrastructure. Only in one region, Zaporizhzhia, 10,000 episodes of shelling were registered in April. We are coming to a very important point in this war. As Ukraine is receiving the aid eventually approved by the U.S. Congress and is trying to bolster its defences, the country is trying to build a foundation for a diplomatic end to this disastrous war. Zelenskyy's Peace Formula Process—which has seen a number of high-profile meetings since 2023 with an active participation of South Africa, Brazil, India, China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—is expected to reach the level of heads of states with the Peace Summit. The summit is scheduled to be held in Switzerland on June 15-16. At this summit, heads of state from about 100 countries are expected to engage in detailed discussions and prepare a common vision for the end of the war. Involvement of each country, especially the Global South ones, is key to the success of the endeavour. Of course, after the Summit, there will be some form of interaction with Russia, which will receive a detailed outline of the vision of the international community. This is really a moment of truth for the entire international community. Canada can have an important role in advocating for the participation of other states in the summit and actively contribute to the discussions to approve a global vision for peace. This will lay the groundwork for searching for a diplomatic solution to the Russian war of aggression—and anchor such attempts in respect for international law and our common values. Erik Kucherenko is a former Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program intern. Currently, he is doing a master of public policy degree in the University of Oxford in Oxford, U.K. The Hill Times

Disinformation, terror, and a summit: what’s happening in Ukraine, and what Canada can do to restore peace

This is really a moment of truth for the entire global community. Canada can have a key role in advocating for other states to take part in the Peace Summit, and actively contribute to talks to approve a global vision for peace.

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Disinformation, terror, and a summit: what’s happening in Ukraine, and what Canada can do to restore peace

This is really a moment of truth for the entire global community. Canada can have a key role in advocating for other states to take part in the Peace Summit, and actively contribute to talks to approve a global vision for peace.

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