A big crowd of members of the Ukrainian community, politicians and supporters welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska with a standing ovation as they entered a Canadian Armed Forces facility in Toronto Friday night.

Around 1,000 people gathered at the Fort York Armoury in support of Zelenskyy, during a visit to Canada for the first time since Russian troops began a full-scale assault on Ukraine back in February 2022.

Accompanying Zelenskyy and his wife at the venue were Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Students and teachers from Toronto’s St. Demetrius Ukrainian school sang the Ukrainian anthem while attendees sang along and waved Ukrainian and Canadian flags.

The Prime Minister has announced that Canada is extending its financial support to Ukraine with a $650-million pledge to give the country more predictable and stable support over the next three years.

So far, Canada has already contributed over $8 billion in support to Ukraine, including armoured vehicles and artillery shells, providing air defence systems and training of Ukrainian soldiers, among other commitments.