Trudeau said Canada wanted to stand with the Ukrainians after he arrived at RAF Station Northolt, near London, for a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and their Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte.

They discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and were expected to strategize on NATO countries’ response to the conflict.

They spoke inside an officers’ mess building, outside a sprawling airfield that was also a base for the Polish Air Force and played a pivotal role in the Battle of ‘England. MM. Both Rutte and Johnson acknowledged the role the base played during World War II.

Canada, Britain and their NATO allies have rejected desperate Ukrainian demands for a no-fly zone to protect their civilians from Russian bombing, fearing it could spark a new world war.

An adviser to Ukraine’s president said on Monday the fourth round of talks with Russia would begin later today as the Russian bombardment enters its 12th day, after killing more than 360 civilians.

Mr Johnson welcomed his ‘friend’ Justin Trudeau to the airbase, saying ‘Canada and the UK are in agreement on many points’, adding that they are ‘particularly united in (their) position against Putin’s aggression in Ukraine”.

Mr. Trudeau said he was happy to “hold Russia to account and defend democracy in the world”.

He added that he “wants to talk about fighting misinformation and respecting the principles and values they share.”

In the coming days, Mr. Trudeau will also meet with other leaders in Riga, Latvia, Berlin and Warsaw, Poland.

The Prime Minister’s busy agenda also includes a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Other ministers

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has travelled to Europe in recent days for meetings with NATO and European Commission officials about ongoing efforts to sanction Russia.

International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan will also travel to Geneva and then join Trudeau in Eastern Europe to meet with UN partners and others to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

On Sunday, the British Ministry of Defense compared Russia’s tactics in Ukraine to its armed interventions in Chechnya in 1999 and Syria in 2016, during which it stepped up air raids after encountering unexpected resistance on the ground. British intelligence says the determination of Ukrainian fighters astounds Russian forces and that the heavy shelling of cities including Kharkiv and Mariupol serves to break Ukrainian morale.

During an hour-long conversation on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop fighting in an attempt to address humanitarian concerns and try to find a political solution.

The Kremlin said Mr Putin responded that Russia’s military action in Ukraine could only be stopped “if Kyiv ceases hostilities and meets Russia’s well-known demands”.

With the third round of talks between Ukraine and Russia scheduled for Monday, the Kremlin said Putin had expressed hope that Ukraine would take full account of “emerging realities”.