Zelenskyy visit draws members of Ukrainian community to Parliament Hill

Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit drew nearly a hundred members of Ottawa's Ukrainian community to Parliament Hill Friday.

The Ukrainian president is on a two-day trip to Canada, first Ottawa and then Toronto — his first since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year.

• Russia's violence 'must not go unpunished,' Zelenskyy tells Canadian parliamentarians
• Highlights from Zelenskyy's official visit in Canada

People lined Wellington Street in front of Parliament, many draped in the Ukrainian flag, to support — and try to get a glimpse of — Zelenskyy.

Here are some of their thoughts on his visit to the capital.

Jessica Antihony

Jessica Antihony drove from Quebec City to show support for the Ukrainian president.

"My dream is to meet one day President Zelenskyy and to speak with him in Ukrainian," she said. 

"For me, he is like a hero and because of him, Ukraine stands. So, you know, it was just my dream."

Tetiana Piatkovska

"I want to support him. Just to show that Ukrainian's in Canada, it's the biggest community in the world," said Ukrainian Tetiana Piatkovska. 

"We need to show that we are not just only on a paper, you know? Just a statistic. We are here and we are grateful that we have [him as] a president and we are united in all parts of the world."

Father Taras Kinash

"Today is a big day for Ukraine and for Canada," said Father Taras Kinash of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, a Ukrainian Orthodox cathedral in Ottawa.

"This visit means that there is a big support from Canada to Ukraine and there is a big support from Ukrainian diaspora ... That means that we are fighting and we will fight and we will have victory soon."

Juliia Baranova

Juliia Baranova moved to Canada six years ago from Ukraine but was deeply affected when she learned of the war. She said Zelenskyy's presence in Ottawa is giving her hope for her home.

"I'm happy to see him here. First of all, because Canada supports Ukraine and it means a lot for me. I'm proud to live in the country that supports democratic values and human rights and giving support to Ukraine," said Baranova.

"He's here because Ukraine needs help and support because to survive in this war we need help from the other democratic countries."

Viktoriia Tipukhova

18-year-old Viktoriia Tipukhova moved to Canada from Ukraine ten months ago.

"It feels like a little bit of relief," said Tipukhova of Zelenskyy's visit to Ottawa, adding that she hopes it will educate more people about the current situation in Ukraine.

"[The] war is almost going for almost for two years, like year and half, there's not a lot of people who still know about it so yeah, it's like a great opportunity, great chance for people to get more information about it."

Olga Ialovenko

"It's a huge opportunity to show my support. What he's doing is great," said Olga Ialovenko, whose boss allowed her to take the day off.  

"[Zelenksyy] is standing for democracy and for the values I am living .... he's the one who is protecting all those things. He is brave and courageous and he represents the whole nation. So this is an honour for me to be here."

Maria Nepop

"It's not over," said Maria Nepop of the war in Ukraine.

"From so far away from Ukraine, it's hard to be involved as much but I believe that Ukraine will win and my faith is strong and I want to share it. I want to do everything I can to support Ukraine."