Thread by @DaveKeating

Now awaiting 🇨🇦@JustinTrudeau at the European Parliament.

The Canadian prime minister will be participating in person in a session of the 🇪🇺 legislature at 17:30 to discuss 🇺🇦, after some vigorous handshaking here at the VIP corner.

🇨🇦#Trudeau is about to speak to the 🇪🇺European Parliament ahead of tomorrow’s emergency #NATO & #G7 summits here in Brussels to discuss 🇺🇦#UkraineCrisis.

He will also be having a bilateral session with 🇪🇺President Michel tomorrow on sidelines of #G7.

France's Europe Minister 🇫🇷@CBeaune says ahead of #Trudeau's speech to the 🇪🇺European Parliament that the fact the 🇨🇦Canadian PM is here shows the strong transatlantic unity right now on the subject of the #UkraineWar.

“It is a privilege to be here in #Brussels with you all,” 🇨🇦PM #Trudeau tells the European Parliament.

He notes he was the first #Canadian PM to ever address the 🇪🇺Parliament, in 2017.

He begins his speech in French.

"The European Union has mobilised to defend democracy," @JustinTrudeau tells the 🇪🇺Parliament. "And as always, you can count on 🇨🇦#Canada every step of the way."

"The resolve of our united response to this unacceptable invasion has been stronger than anything #Putin expected."

#Trudeau says when he 1st spoke to 🇪🇺MEPs in 2017 "this parliament saw me as someone new on the world stage. We got to work tackling progressive issues, building things we thought mattered. We could see something threatening was on the horizon"

Reference to both #Putin & #Trump?

"I spoke about making multilateralism work for middle class" says #Trudeau. "So that economic frustrations don't become fertile ground for populism, nativism, protectionism & polarisation."

"Today, we're staring these forces in the face as they threaten our world"

"Since 2017 the world has changed a lot. A global pandemic has taken lives of over 6 million people & disrupted lives of everyone else. A global recession...a world living dangers of climate change, a growing distrust of governments & facts, weakening of democratic institutions"

"We saw one of our staunchest guarantors of rules-based order [🇺🇸] choosing for 4 years to step away from #NATO, away from multilateralism," 🇨🇦#Trudeau tells 🇪🇺parliament.

"And now #Putin's criminal invasion of a sovereign independent democratic #Ukraine."

"These are anxious times, and people are looking for leadership & solutions" says #Trudeau

"We're seeing a rise in cynical populists who are trying to exploit these anxieties. They pretend to have easy solutions that play on peoples fears. Even in Canada [#ConvoyForFreedom2022]"

"In 🇨🇦we saw anti-vaccine anti-government protests devolve" says #Trudeau. "The leaders of those convoys were effective in turning citizens with real anxieties against the system best suited to allay those concerns"

"But democracy isn't a game, and there aren't easy solutions"

"But that doesn't mean the way forward isn't clear" 🇨🇦#Trudeau tells 🇪🇺MEPs. "There's no greater clarity...than the unwavering unity of like-minded partners"

"Over past 80 years together we have established and bolstered a series of rules and institutions to increase stability"

"Today these rules & institutions are being threatened" says #Trudeau

"Vladimir #Putin has violated the most fundamental principles of international law, and he's now killing innocent civilians by bombing hospitals & residences"

"🇨🇦,🇪🇺 & our allies are facing a defining moment"

"We cannot fail. We must meet this moment" 🇨🇦Trudeau tells 🇪🇺MEPs.

"I speak to you today no longer as someone quite so new. In fact I may now be one of longest serving progressive leaders around. I won't pretend to have all the answers. But what I do know is there is work ahead"

🇨🇦Canadian Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau came to the 🇪🇺European Parliament in Brussels today to talk about the 🇺🇦#UkraineWar and his vision for the way ahead.

"The EU has mobilised to defend democracy" he told MEPs. "And as always, you can count on Canada every step of the way."