Trudeau, British PM ignore implications of Ukraine missiles landing in Poland

On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, were on a conference call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and expressed solidarity in the face of missile explosions in Poland that Zelensky blamed on the Russians but was likely fired by Ukrainian forces.

Eva Vlaardingerbroek posted a clip of the call on Twitter and wrote, "This is the most cringe thing I’ve seen in a while. I suppose it really is true that weak men create hard times."

"Hello, Volodymyr! It's Rishi and Justin. I really wanted you to hear from us as friends," Trudeau said. 

One Twitter user noted that Trudeau seemed to put on the affectation of an Eastern European accent when he said hello.

"We absolutely know how difficult yesterday was. It was horrific for you and your country," Sunak said. "And we have called it out in the session that we've just had and on the media here this morning, and we made that point loud and clear, to everyone who was here that what your country had to live through yesterday was unacceptable and represented yet more barbarity from the Russians. We stood united in condemning it."

On the same day as the phone call, reports emerged that the explosions in Poland were caused by missiles likely fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile as a defense against an attack on Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the blast “a very significant escalation” and declared that the explosions in the NATO country were at the hands of Putin. Zelensky added, “We need to put the terrorist in its place. The longer Russia feels impunity, the more threats there will be for everyone within the reach of Russian missiles.”

According to the Canadian government's official website, the call found the leaders of the UK and Canada expressing "continued solidarity with Ukraine." They also discussed the explosions in Poland and decided " Regardless of the outcome of that investigation, it is clear that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is to blame for the ongoing conflict and ensuing violence."

"Rishi and I really wanted to reach out to reassure you, to show you we're standing with you and just say we're going to figure out this step by step altogether. Thank you, Volodymyr, we'll talk to you soon," Trudeau said.

In March, Zelensky called on Canada to back a no-fly zone, telling Canadian Parliamentarians during a virtual address: "Close the airspace please to stopped the bombing. How many more cruise missiles have to fall on our cities until you make this happen?"

Zelensky spoke to Parliamentarians via Zoom, where he was welcomed as a "friend" by Trudeau. In response, Russia barred Trudeau from entry into that nation.