In a phone call between the leaders, Zelensky told Justin Trudeau that his stance on sanctions against Russia “must be a matter of principle” at a time when relations between Canada and the embattled country are somewhat strained over his controversial decision Canada to send parts of Russian natural gas.  pipeline back to Germany.
	Zelensky recapped their conversation in a brief statement shared on Twitter, saying he thanked Trudeau for Canada’s continued strong defense support for his country, but also highlighted the importance of upholding sanctions.
	“After the terrorist attacks in Vinnytsia, Mykolayiv, Chasiv Yar, etc.  the pressure must be increased, not decreased,” he said.
	Trudeau reiterated Canada’s support for Ukraine against Russia’s military offensive, according to an official record of the conversation from the prime minister’s office. 
	The two leaders also talked about maintaining unity among their allies and imposing a “severe cost” on Russia, the PMO said. 
	Canada agreed earlier this month to grant an exemption from economic sanctions imposed on Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
	The two-year waiver would allow six Siemens Energy turbines, which have been in Montreal for repairs, to be returned to Germany for use in Russia’s state-run Nord Stream 1 pipeline. 
	Trudeau has previously defended the decision and said Canada’s German ally relies on gas from the pipeline. 
	In a written and videotaped speech last week, however, Zelensky called the move “absolutely unacceptable.”
	Russian state energy company Gazprom cut gas deliveries from the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which runs through northeastern Germany, by 60 percent last month, citing technical problems related to the turbines.
	The decision has left several Ukrainian supporters who attended a rally in Ottawa on Sunday afternoon in a state of disbelief. 
	Canadian-Ukrainian Yuriy Kolomiets told the crowd of about 150 supporters gathered on the Parliament Hill lawn that the decision would mean more oil and gas money for Russia to finance its attack on Ukraine. 
	“I guess it’s okay to supply genocidal maniacs with technology and money as long as it keeps the German voters happy,” Kolomietz told the crowd, prompting cries of “shame.”
	“It’s not their children who die in the missile strikes.”
	Two young protesters, Arsenii Pivtorak and Ladislao Zaichka, have camped outside Parliament Hill for days and say they have been on hunger strike since July 9 when the resignation was announced. 
	“This decision broke our hearts. We felt that the German’s pockets were more important than the lives of Ukrainians,” Pivtorak, 19, said of the ruling. 
	Zaichka said he is particularly passionate about the decision because he has family in Ukraine. 
	“What Justin Trudeau has done and what the Canadian government has done is upsetting to me as a Canadian but even worse to me as a Ukrainian,” he said.
	The Ottawa chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress planned the Parliament Hill protest to urge the government to withdraw the resignation.
	Protesters called on Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who defended the turbine decision last week, to respond to the Ukrainian community in Canada.  They also called for the government to “stand with Ukraine”.
	Speaking to reporters on a conference call after G20 finance ministers met in Bali, Indonesia on Saturday, Freeland said Germany’s ability to maintain its support for Ukraine could be at risk if the turbines are not returned.  He said a united G7 effort would be needed to support Ukraine and that allowing repaired parts to return to Germany was “the right thing to do”.  The United States also supported Canada’s decision.
	The conference’s parent organization, the Ukrainian World Congress, has applied to the Federal Court for a judicial review in the hope of stopping the turbines from reaching Germany. 
	“Both Canada and Germany, we believe they have been manipulated here by the Russians,” Ukrainian Congress national executive director Ihor Michalchyshyn said ahead of the planned protest.
	The group argues that Canada caved in to Russian blackmail and set a dangerous precedent that will lead to a weakening of the sanctions regime imposed on Russia. 
	“This is a decision that has angered the Canadians and the Ukrainian government as well,” Mikhalchyshyn said.
	He said the Ukrainian-Canadians on his team initially expressed surprise and disappointment when they learned Canada would allow the turbines to be returned. 
	The government also faced political backlash.  In a video posted on Twitter Sunday, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney warned the Liberals that they helped finance Russian oil and gas and allowed the country to continue to dominate the European energy market.
	“Why do we have a government in Ottawa blocking efforts to export responsible Canadian energy to Europe while helping Vladimir Putin’s Gazprom continue to dominate European energy markets? It makes no sense,” Kenney said. 
	The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is expected to attend a Foreign Affairs Committee meeting to discuss the decision, along with the ambassadors of Ukraine, Germany and the European Union to Canada.
	Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson have also been called to the committee to answer questions about the exemption. 
	Echoing Zelenskyy’s principled stance on sanctions, protester Oksana Bashuk Hepburn said Canada’s strength is its values.  Standing in front of the parliament buildings in a straw hat decorated with a ribbon in the yellow and blue colors of Ukraine, she said Canada must stick to those values ​​and stick to the sanctions. 
	“You have discipline because you have an honest reputation. Take it back,” he said. 
	This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 17, 2022.