The shutters are still down and the gates of the Canadian Embassy in Kyiv remain locked, nearly three months after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the flag on the pole and announced the official reopening of the building.
Confusion continues over the significance of the May 8 ceremony, which was timed to coincide with Trudeau’s visit to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
On a visit to the property this week, the only signs of life were three security guards crammed into a small annex on the side of the building. Security guard Sergii Maier, who stayed there while he was locked up and received a personal thank you for his service during Trudeau’s visit, is one of them.
A notice on the front gate of the Canadian Embassy informed visitors that the building was closed due to the “security situation”. Ashley Stewart
A note on the steel gates surrounding the building informs visiting Canadians that services are “temporarily suspended” due to the “security situation.”
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An email address is provided for those in Ukraine who require consular assistance, as well as the contact information for the Emergency Response and Monitoring Center in Ottawa.
When Global News asked security if we could go inside, they said it was closed and provided an email address to contact for assistance. When we asked if the building was staffed any day of the week, they told us no.
Trudeau shy of full reopening
During his May 8 visit, Trudeau was unclear about what “reopening” meant operationally or whether Canada’s ambassador to Ukraine, Larisa Galada, who joined him at the ceremony, would resume her office there.
During his speech, Trudeau commented on Gallada’s return “when the embassy reopened[s].”
In his French translation, he said the embassy would reopen that day and Gallada would begin work there “now.” Asked by a reporter afterward if the embassy was now officially open, Trudeau brushed off the question.
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0:32 Reopening of Canadian Embassy in Kyiv to have on-site presence: Trudeau Reopening of Canadian Embassy in Kyiv to have on-site presence: Trudeau – May 10, 2022
A later press release announced that the move marked the first step in the gradual resumption of diplomatic activities in Kyiv. Gallada and a team of officials will resume diplomatic operations in the city, but consular and immigration services will continue to be provided in Poland and other European cities, the statement said.
Galada is definitely back in Ukraine — she posted photos on Twitter Friday of her with Zelensky in Odesa monitoring grain exports — but it’s unclear where she is.
Very good to be in Odesa today with @ZelenskyyUa & @OlKubrakov I heard about the latest problems stopping the export of grain and other food. But 🇺🇦 is getting ready. I watched this ship in Chernomorsk port loading corn.🤞 that 🇹🇷+🇺🇳 will solve the problems with Russia quickly pic.twitter.com/ubEoxGc8zg
— Larisa Galadza (@LGaladza) July 29, 2022
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Global Affairs Canada declined to answer specific questions about the embassy or Galada’s work in Kyiv, other than to say she returned to resume “high-level personal diplomatic engagements.”
In a statement, they said the presence of diplomatic personnel in Kyiv is currently at a reduced capacity.
“We continue to evaluate the assignment of personnel to Kyiv as we seek to gradually restore Canada’s full diplomatic presence and services in a timely manner.”
Bad relations between Canada and Ukraine
In January, Zelensky warned countries to order embassy staff and family members to leave the country – such as the United States, Britain and Canada – saying “captains are the last to leave the ship”.
Diplomatic relations between Canada and Ukraine have been further tested in recent weeks by Canada’s controversial decision to send parts of a Russian natural gas pipeline back to Germany.
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Read more: Exclusive: Ukrainian commander apologizes to dead Canadian’s mother for failing to ‘save her son’
Trudeau reiterated Canada’s support for Ukraine against Russia, according to an official account of the discussion from the Prime Minister’s Office.
In Kyiv, that support is represented by a flying flag in front of a closed embassy.
But it could have been worse — the flag could still be on the side of the building, half hidden from view, where it was raised during Trudeau’s visit on May 8 — after the mechanisms on the main flagpole at the front of the building repeatedly failed. were damaging.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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