Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Calgary late on Wednesday for "important meetings and agreements" with Canadian officials, including Prime Minister Mark Carney. The visit is part of his multi-nation tour to shore up his country's air defenses ahead of winter.

Zelenskyy arrived on the heels of attending King Harald V's funeral in Norway, where his plane had been delayed by a drone incursion. The Ukrainian leader is in the middle of a flurry of trips and meetings to shore up his country's defenses for the cold winter months. "The main focus will be on supporting Ukraine in protecting our skies and preparing for the winter," Zelenskyy said in a social media post before leaving.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement that the visit "will focus on shared priorities between Canada and Ukraine, including deepening defense, economic, and energy cooperation." Carney's statement added Canada "remains steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine's defense, recovery, and reconstruction." Zelenskyy had also signaled a desire to meet with US President Donald Trump on the matter before the end of September.

Since Russia's invasion in 2022, Moscow has consistently increased attacks on fuel and heating infrastructure in Ukraine in the autumn and winter. Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery in the Yamalo-Nenets region overnight, as well as a seaport in Dagestan, Zelenskyy said. He added that other unnamed sites critical to Russia's war industry had also been hit.

Alexander Gusev, governor of Russia's Voronezh region, said that one woman in the town of Borisoglebsk had been killed by falling drone debris overnight and that at least 19 drones had been destroyed while flying over the region. The Russian Defense Ministry said a total of 448 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight.

Source: www.dw.com