Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday joined other Western leaders in support of President Donald Trump’s work to end the war in Ukraine and lauded what he described as the "openness of the United States to providing security guarantees” for Ukraine after peace is reached.
“The leadership of President Trump and the United States is creating the opportunity to end Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. Robust and credible security guarantees are essential to any just and lasting peace,” Carney wrote in a statement. “I welcome the openness of the United States to providing security guarantees as part of the Coalition of the Willing’s efforts."
The “coalition of the willing” refers to a group of nations, including Canada, convened to provide military support for Ukraine after the war. A virtual meeting of the loose coalition is set to take place on Sunday, spearheaded by French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“Canada is closely co-ordinating with President Zelenskyy and our partners in the Coalition of the Willing to intensify our steadfast support for Ukraine and our shared commitment to its peace and security,” Carney added in his statement.
The Canadian leader’s message comes after several European leaders voiced support for Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting following his Friday talks with Putin, which concluded without a deal on the table and left the future of the war unclear. In the hours after the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he would travel to Washington on Monday to meet with Trump and discuss next steps.
But the European partners are cautious that Trump may not be as keen to show the same hospitality to Zelenskyy on Monday as he did with Putin on Friday. At least one other leader, most likely Finnish President Alexander Stubb or NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, is set to travel with Zelenskyy and act as an advocate — or buffer — for the Ukrainian leader, POLITICO previously reported.
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