By Canadian Press

Axworthy urges renewed Canada-Ukraine ties despite concerns about new president

Apr 24, 2019 | 10:15 AM

OTTAWA — Former Canadian foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy is urging Canada to renew its relationship with Ukraine while expressing some reservations about the country’s new president.

Axworthy recently returned from leading a team of 160 Canadians who helped monitor the election that saw comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy elected president earlier this week.

Axworthy said the election of a new Ukrainian president represents a chance for Canada to redouble its political and economic support for a strategically important country.

At the same time, Axworthy hinted at some concerns with Zelenskiy, whose only political experience is playing Ukraine’s president on TV.

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Those included Zelenskiy’s appeal to populism, his refusal to engage with the media during the campaign, and questions over whether he will cave to Russia to end the five-year conflict ravaging eastern Ukraine.

As for Russian interference in the election, Axworthy said it is an issue Canada needs to pay more attention to and learn from — and that those worries shouldn’t be written off as simply “crying wolf.”

The Canadian Press