What did the Hunka affair and the Abrams delivery mean for Kyiv?
A look back at two late-September 2023 developments that framed Ukraine's international standing as October began.
What was the picture for Ukraine's international partnerships on 1 October 2023? Two developments from the final week of September shaped it: a political scandal in Ottawa and a delivery of Western armour.
On 25 September 2023, Ukraine received its first shipment of M1 Abrams tanks from the United States, part of the military aid supplied during the Russian invasion.
A day later, on 26 September 2023, Anthony Rota resigned as speaker of the House of Commons of Canada. The controversy centred on his decision to invite Yaroslav Hunka, a Ukrainian–Canadian veteran of the Waffen-SS, to a speech by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and to introduce Hunka to the House as a "hero".
What happened in the chamber
The invitation was issued on 22 September 2023. Hunka had fought in the SS Division Galicia, the military wing of the Nazi Party. He received two standing ovations from members of the House, among them the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, other party leaders and the visiting Ukrainian president.
Two stories, one week
The two events were unrelated in substance. One was a practical step in the supply of weapons to Ukraine. The other was a parliamentary embarrassment in a partner country, which ended with the departure of the speaker who had extended the invitation.
For readers looking back from the first day of October 2023, the week offered a reminder that support for Ukraine involves both deliveries of equipment and the careful conduct of public diplomacy.
