OTTAWA – Canada intends to respond to Ukraine’s renewed appeal and help sell a peace plan with Russia to developing countries that have taken a neutral stance on the invasion of Moscow.

Ottawa says it is preparing diplomatic action on several continents to get the world to support Kiev’s vision of an end to the war through a plan that includes full restoration of all Ukrainian territory and a war crimes tribunal.

“Canada has the diplomatic power to carry out the task of bringing together a broad coalition for the peace formula,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba said on Thursday.

He spoke in video shown at a closed-door luncheon for foreign ambassadors hosted by The Canadian Press.

Kouleba also calls on Canada to increase its support for the fight against landmines and expand its military funding beyond next year.

“One of the things we’re talking about is putting a multi-year military support program on paper,” he said. And given the scale of mining pollution, we ask that you continue to provide assistance in this area.”

His remarks were made at a meeting hosted by Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day and also attended by Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada Yuliya Kovaliv.

“It is important that we strengthen and rebuild Ukraine to ensure Russia does not attempt another invasion,” Ms Joly told foreign ambassadors gathered at Global Affairs Canada headquarters.

“We will support the peace plan. We will also bring our (weight) to mobilize many countries through our diplomatic corps in all capitals where we are present,” she argued.

Ms Joly argued that the Russian invasion was responsible for the rise in food prices around the world. She noted that Moscow’s withdrawal from an agreement on grain supplies from Ukraine only made the situation worse.

“We are talking about how to prevent this from becoming an international conflict and that is why there are many problems here,” she said, calling for accountability from Russia.

The lunch was attended by senior envoys from several European countries, as well as states that did not directly condemn Russia for the invasion, such as India, South Africa and Nigeria.

The majority of the world’s population lives in countries that have chosen not to hold Russia accountable for its invasion, for reasons ranging from trade ties with Russia to attention to issues outside Europe and a desire to maintain good relations Washington, Moscow and Beijing to maintain .

Still, G7 countries like Canada say ending the conflict is an essential part of complying with the UN Charter, and the group of some of the world’s richest nations met last month to offer Ukraine a set of long-term security guarantees. Joly said Ottawa would reveal more in the coming days, but appeared open to Ukraine’s call for a long-term military engagement.

“We know that Russia can withdraw, rearm and invade again at any time. So we want to make sure the commitment shown is sustainable, she said. We know that arming Ukraine is the best way to find a peaceful solution. I have to say that as a progressive I never thought that arming a country was the best way to achieve peace.

Ms. Kovaliv told her fellow ambassadors that countries would be of great benefit if they would help finance Ukraine’s eventual reconstruction, especially if it was financed with Russian funds. She said it could boost employment worldwide and offset damage to foreign property in Ukraine.

“It’s about the business of many of your countries that have suffered,” she said. Ms. Kovaliv cited the example of Ukraine, which modernized its nuclear energy sector by replacing much of its Russian imports with Canadian uranium and tools.

Trudeau spoke to Zelenskyj

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office said it spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday and supported the peace plan drafted by Mr Zelenskyy.

In an interview from Kiev, Toronto MP Ali Ehsassi said Ukraine hopes Canada can win more countries over to its side.

“It was obviously very, very difficult, but they are more determined than ever to ensure that they ultimately win,” the Liberal MP said Thursday during a personal visit to Ukraine at events attended by parliamentarians from allied countries.

“The most urgent thing they stressed was the need for all our countries to do a better job and ensure that the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine is expanded,” he said.

He added that Ukrainian officials are also looking for more air defense systems similar to those in the capital so they can protect other cities, as well as ports and power plants, especially in the coming winter.

Also on Thursday, Ms Joly announced the appointment of a new Canadian ambassador to Ukraine.

Natalka Cmoc speaks Ukrainian and has held positions in the country ranging from human rights to security programs, although for the past eight years she has held positions unrelated to federal ministries.