Canada ‘will not ever’ recognize ‘sham’ referendums, Trudeau reaffirms to Zelenskyy – National

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, reaffirming to the Ukraine president that Canada won’t “ever” recognize the results of Russia’s recent “sham” referendums in occupied Ukraine.

The Russian government held referendums in the four occupied regions in Ukraine between Sept. 23 and Sept. 27, where pro-Moscow officials claim residents have overwhelmingly voted in favour of joining Russia.

Many western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, have slammed the referendums as a “sham.” Trudeau repeated this characterization of the votes in his conversation with Zelenskyy, according to the Wednesday readout.

“The Prime Minister and the President denounced Russia’s illegitimate ‘referendums’ in occupied regions of Ukraine, which are a blatant violation of international law and a further escalation of Russia’s invasion,” the readout of the conversation said.

“The Prime Minister reaffirmed that Canada does not and will not ever recognize the results of these sham referendums or Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories.”

Trudeau had previously condemned the referendums in a tweeted statement Sept. 20, calling them a “blatant violation of international law” and a “further escalation of war.”

According to Russia-installed election officials, 93 per cent of the ballots cast in the Zaporizhzhia region supported annexation, as did 87 per cent in the Kherson region, 98 per cent in the Luhansk region and 99 per cent in Donetsk.

Together, the four provinces represent about 15 per cent of Ukrainian territory.

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