WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko asked Trudeau to keep 200 Canadian military trainers in the country past March 2017.
"We will stand with our NATO partners, and push on, as you’ve seen, our friends and partners to continue to be steadfast in support of Ukraine," Trudeau stated when asked for response to the request.
Ottawa began training Ukrainian military in the summer of 2015. Some 200 Canadian personnel have been deployed to Ukraine until March 31, 2017.
Wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/UgIsNv8Qvy
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) 11 July 2016
The primary focus of the Canadian instructors is to provide tactical training for soldiers but also medical training and activities to counter improvised explosive devices, according to Canada’s Department of National Defense.
