Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday he backed Ukraine's calls for robust security guarantees as part of any peace deal, saying Canada would not rule out sending troops under such a framework.
Three and a half years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump is leading peace efforts and Ukraine is working with its European allies to draft potential frameworks for post-war security guarantees for Kyiv, which Trump has also expressed openness towards.
Carney, making his first visit to Ukraine since taking office in March, joined Zelensky for a ceremony in central Kyiv to mark Ukrainian Independence Day, which was also attended by Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.
"We are all working to ensure that the end of this war would mean the guarantee of peace for Ukraine, so that neither war nor the threat of war are left for our children to inherit," Zelensky told a crowd of dignitaries in Kyiv's Sophia Square, against the backdrop of an 11th century cathedral.
Zelensky has said he wants future security guarantees as part of a potential peace deal to be as close as possible to NATO's Article 5, which considers an attack on one member state as an attack against all.
Carney backed Ukraine's calls for potential international participation.
"In Canada's judgment, it is not realistic that the only security guarantee could be the strength of the Ukrainian Armed Forces ... that needs to be buttressed and reinforced," Carney told a joint press conference.
The two leaders also signed an agreement on drone co-production, and Carney said Ukraine would receive more than C$1 billion ($723 million) in military aid from a previously announced package next month.
Reuters
