Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is greeted by women in traditional dress and bread as he arrives in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sunday July 10, 2016.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will sign a long-awaited free-trade deal with Ukraine on Monday before paying his respects to those who fought and died in the country's revolution, known as the Euromaidan, two years ago.
Mr. Trudeau flew into Kiev on Sunday after an emotional tour of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, where the Nazis occupying Poland during the Second World War killed more than one million people, mostly Jews.
He was stone-faced through most of the visit as he was escorted by one of the camp's survivors, 88-year-old Nate Leipciger, now of Toronto. But the Prime Minister couldn't hold back the tears as he stood before the ruined gas chamber where Mr. Leipciger's mother and sister were murdered more than 70 years ago.
The Prime Minister didn't speak much during the nearly three hours he spent walking through the camp, but he did leave a message in a guest book kept by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.
"Tolerance is never sufficient," he wrote. "Humanity must learn to love our differences.
"Today we bear witness to humanity's capacity for deliberate cruelty and evil. May we ever remember this painful truth about ourselves, and may it strengthen our commitment to never allow such darkness to prevail. We shall never forget."
Remembrance has emerged as a key feature of Mr. Trudeau's time in Eastern Europe as he will spend Monday morning visiting different sites in the Ukrainian capital where the Soviets and Nazis perpetrated mass atrocities against the local populace throughout the 20th century.
The focus will then turn to trade when Mr. Trudeau meets Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Trade talks were launched by the Conservatives in 2009, but stalled four years later when pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was elected. They resumed after Mr. Yanukovych was forced from power.
The deal is not the biggest for Canada or Ukraine, but Ukrainians are hoping it will facilitate the country's continued shift west toward Europe and away from Russia, as well as spur more Canadian investment in the country.
On Saturday, at the end of a two-day NATO summit in Warsaw, Mr. Trudeau said his government was "extremely enthusiastic" about helping NATO in Eastern Europe, and that a display of force is essential to make sure Russia understands the alliance is united in opposing its "illegitimate" actions.
During the summit, NATO leaders moved to boost the alliance's military presence in the Baltic countries and Poland to reassure Eastern European members and deter further Russian aggression in the region.
Canada has agreed to send around 450 soldiers to Latvia, where they will form the core of a 1,000-strong battle-group comprised of troops from other NATO countries. It has also pledged to keep one of its warships in the region and occasionally send fighter jets.
There was a sense that the Liberal government, which campaigned on a promise to increase Canada's involvement in peacekeeping, was reluctant to get drawn into NATO's standoff with Russia.
Germany, Britain and the United States confirmed weeks ago that they were prepared to send large numbers of troops to help the alliance in Eastern Europe.
Canada's announcement came late last month, and only after U.S. President Barack Obama and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg took the unusual step of publicly asking the Canadian government to step up.
Asked about this perceived hesitancy, however, Mr. Trudeau told reporters: "Canada was, on the contrary, extremely enthusiastic about continuing to step up, as we have over the 67 years of NATO's existence in ways that are helpful to the alliance.
"Leading efforts in Latvia," he added, "was exactly something we saw as an opportunity for Canada to contribute security and stability, defence and deterrence at a time where that's very much necessary."