The shutters are still drawn and the doors remain padlocked at the Canadian embassy in Kyiv, nearly three months after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the flag to the mast and announced the official reopening of the building.
Confusion remains over the meaning of the May 8 ceremony, which was timed to coincide with Trudeau’s visit to Ukraine to meet with President Volodomyr Zelenskyy.
On a visit to the property this week, the only signs of life are three security guards huddled in a small outhouse next to the structure. Security guard Sergii Maier, who stayed there while it was closed and was personally thanked for his service during Trudeau’s visit, is one of them.
A notice on the front door of the Canadian embassy informs visitors that the building is closed due to the “security situation”. Ashleigh Stewart
A notice on the steel gates surrounding the building informs visiting Canadians that services are “temporarily suspended” due to the “security situation.”
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An email address is provided for those in Ukraine requiring consular assistance, as well as contact details for the Emergency Response and Monitoring Center in Ottawa.
When Global News asked the security guards if we could enter, they said it was locked and provided an email address to contact for help. When we asked if the building was staffed any days of the week, we were told no.
Trudeau coy in full reopening
During his May 8 visit, Trudeau was unclear about what “reopening” meant operationally, or whether Canada’s ambassador to Ukraine Larisa Galadza, who joined him at the ceremony, he would again take up his office there.
During his speech, Trudeau commented that Galadza was returning “when the embassy reopens[s].”
In his French translation, he said the embassy would reopen that day and that Galadza would begin work there “now.” After being asked by a reporter if the embassy was now officially open, Trudeau ignored the question.
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0:32 Canadian Embassy in Kyiv reopens for presence on the ground: Trudeau Canadian Embassy in Kyiv reopens for presence on the ground: Trudeau – May 10, 2022
A press release later announced that the move marked the first step in the gradual resumption of diplomatic activities in Kyiv. Galadza and a team of staff members would resume diplomatic operations in the city, but consular and immigration services would continue to be provided in Poland and other European cities, the statement said.
Galadza is back in Ukraine for good (she posted photos on Twitter on Friday of herself with Zelenskyy in Odesa overseeing grain exports), but it’s unclear where exactly she is.
Great to be in Odesa today with @ZelenskyyUa and @OlKubrakov Heard about the latest issues holding back exports of grain and other food. But 🇺🇦 is getting ready. I saw this ship in the port of Chornomorsk being loaded with corn.🤞that 🇹🇷+🇺🇳 will quickly solve the problems with Russia pic.twitter.com/ubEoxGc8zg
— Larisa Galadza (@LGaladza) July 29, 2022
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Global Affairs Canada declined to answer specific questions about the embassy or Galadza’s work in Kyiv, other than to say he had returned to resume “high-level diplomatic engagement in person.”
In a statement, they said the presence of diplomatic personnel in Kyiv is currently at a reduced capacity.
“We continue to evaluate the allocation of personnel to Kyiv as we seek to gradually restore Canada’s presence and full diplomatic services, in due course.”
The flawed relationship between Canada and Ukraine
In January, Zelenskyy admonished countries to order embassy staff and family members to leave the country, including the United States, Britain and Canada, saying “the captains are the last to abandon ship.”
The diplomatic relationship between Canada and Ukraine has been tested in recent weeks by Canada’s controversial decision to send parts of a Russian gas pipeline back to Germany.
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Read more: Exclusive: Ukrainian commander apologizes to dead Canadian’s mother for failing to ‘save her son’
Trudeau reiterated Canada’s support for Ukraine against Russia, according to an official account of the discussion from the prime minister’s office.
In Kyiv, this support is represented by a flag waving in front of a closed embassy.
But it could be worse: The flag could still be on the side of the building, half-hidden from view, where it was raised during Trudeau’s visit on May 8, after the main flagpole’s mechanisms on the part front of the building failed repeatedly.
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