by Our Foreign Desk

UKRAINIAN Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk signed a free-trade agreement with Canada yesterday, meeting Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Quebec.

Although Canada’s trade with Ukraine is modest — just $244 million (£122m) last year, down from $322m the year before — the deal is an important political gesture.

It confirms the Canadian Conservative Party leader’s approach during the 2011 general election when he actively courted the Ukrainian-Canadian community.

Mr Yatsenyuk arrived in Canada from the US, where he welcomed an announcement that the US military is considering a plan to train Ukrainian army soldiers. 

He voiced optimism that Washington would start sending weapons to Kiev to assist efforts to subjugate anti-fascist forces in eastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian PM struck a jarring note in Washington from the position of President Petro Poroshenko who had insisted that all non-state paramilitary forces should be disarmed following deadly clashes between the neonazi Right Sector and security forces in Mukachevo.

“No political force should have armed cells and no political force will have one,” said Mr Poroshenko, who described the appearance of heavily armed men “a thousand kilometres away from the front line” as an attempt to destabilise the situation in Ukraine.

However, when asked about the clashes, Mr Yatsenyuk blamed police.

“It wasn’t about the Right Sector. This is about corruption and smuggling and arms on the street,” he said. 

“They supported smugglers and contraband and everyone will be brought to justice for the crimes that have been committed.”

Mr Yatsenyuk will return to Kiev via a stop-off in London.