MONTREAL: Canada has offered a loan of Can$120 million (US$95 million) to Ukraine to support the country’s economy, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday, amid international fears of a Russian invasion.

“Russia is aiming to destabilize Ukraine,” Trudeau told reporters. “This loan will help support Ukraine’s economic resilience.”

“We have always been a friend to Ukraine, we will always be there with the necessary support,” he added.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the offer, saying on Twitter that a “strong Ukraine is the key to European security.”

As fears grew that Russia could invade its pro-Western neighbour, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday renewed warnings of severe Western reprisals.