Trudeau promises surveillance gear to Ukraine, visits Holocaust memorial in Germany
CBC
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was given a stark reminder of wars present and past on Wednesday in Berlin.
Prior to his first bilateral meeting with Germany's new chancellor, Trudeau spoke with Ukraine's President Volodmyr Zelensky, telling him Canada will ship more specialized military equipment.
A source with knowledge of the file says the equipment includes cameras for surveillance drones to help Ukrainian forces keep eyes on Russian troops, tanks and artillery.
Ukraine has struggled with reconnaissance and relied partly on civilian drone enthusiasts to help repel the military invasion.
Later in the morning, Trudeau was given a reminder of the horrors of the Second World War when he visited a Holocaust memorial at Platform 17 in western Berlin.
The train station is where tens of thousands of Jews were deported from the city to death camps during the Nazi regime.
Germany is one of the most pacifist nations in Europe, ever since losing the war to the allies, and it recently reversed decades of foreign policy by providing weapons to Ukraine.
Germany has been in an uncomfortable position throughout the crisis — because of its dependency on natural gas from Moscow.
The war in Ukraine is expected to dominate the talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as Europe's energy needs, and dependence on Russian natural gas will be among the major topics.
Trudeau and Scholz are also expected to discuss Tuesday's announced U.S. embargo on Russian oil and its impact on the world.
