Trudeau is expected to travel to Ukraine as envoy calls for Canada to “strengthen” – country
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will join Kiev global leader on Monday, marking the third anniversary of the full Russian invasion, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian diplomats urged Canada to “strengthen” its support.
Zelenskyy confirmed at a press conference in Kiev on Sunday night that he will meet Trudeau in person, one of 13 foreign leaders participating in the Ukraine Peace and Security Summit.
“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will visit here tomorrow,” Zelenskyy said in the Ukrainian.
“He is currently hosting the G7, so he will tell me what’s going on in his relationship with the United States”
The press conference was translated into English by Ukrainian broadcaster UATV.
The Prime Minister's Office has not publicly confirmed Trudeau's trip, nor has it answered questions about Zelenskyy's speech on Sunday.
This will be Trudeau’s fourth visit to Ukraine since the war began, and almost certainly his last visit as Canadian Prime Minister. He said he will resign after choosing a new liberal leader on March 9.
Zelenskyy said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and representatives from Nordic and Baltic countries are also attending the summit on Monday in person, and the two leaders will actually join.
“This is an important opportunity to discuss Ukraine's strategic and security assurance framework,” Zelenskyy said.
As Ukraine's allies are seeking support for war-torn nations as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a deal to end the war. Trump administration officials held talks with Russia without Ukraine and indicated that the final agreement could allow Moscow to retain at least the territory it has occupied since its initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
The United States also seems to accept Russia's position that Ukraine should never join NATO and prompted Ukraine to use its key minerals as compensation for U.S. military aid.
Get the daily national news
Get news, politics, economics and current events titles delivered to your inbox every day.
Zelenskyy said on Sunday that a deal with the United States on minerals is making progress and that he will be prepared to abandon the president if lasting peace is achieved for his country under NATO's security.
“If peace is to be achieved, you really need me to give up my post, I'm ready,” he said.
Zelenskyy answered a reporter's question about whether he wanted to trade the Peace Office, “I can trade it as NATO.”
Both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have called for elections in Ukraine, which was suspended in the 2022 invasion based on martial arts. Trump calls Zelenskyy a “dictator”; Zelenskyy accused Trump of living in “false information” and angering U.S. officials.
Oleh Nikolenko, Consul General of Ukraine's Consul in Toronto, told Global News that remarks from the United States were “counterproductive” and would only serve as “invitation (Russia) to attack more aggressiveness.”
Ukrainian officials said Russia launched 267 strike drones in Ukraine overnight on Saturday, rather than any other attack from the war. Moscow continued to launch ballistic missiles at Ukraine, including at least three on Sunday, and its officials held talks with Washington.
Nikolonko said Ukrainian negotiators are providing security assurances to the United States as part of any economic or mineral agreement.
Trump and his advisers called for European leadership in Ukraine's security, with European leaders saying they are willing to do so, and Ukrainians say they welcome them.
Nikolenko said Canada also needs to participate in part of these security conversations.
“We think, right now, now is the time for Canada to play a leadership role,” he said. “Canada can really fill a few gaps now: military support, humanitarianism, the devil, the training of our troops.
“We really hope Canada can strengthen its support right away because we are in a critical moment, I will say.”
Trudeau called for Ukraine to be brought to the negotiating table quickly, which he expressed in a call with Zelenskyy last week.
Trudeau actually attended a meeting with European leaders convened by French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday in response to Trump's proposal to Russia.
Trudeau spoke with Trump on phone on Saturday, and the two countries said Ukraine was one of the topics of the discussion.
Ottawa is the main donor to Ukraine, and the Kiel World Economics Institute ranks Canada fifth in the overall allocation of Ukraine support trackers, which cover military, financial and humanitarian contributions.
Canada ranks third in Ukraine’s financial allocation, especially in loans that guarantee loans aim to retain the country’s solvency and provide funds quickly after allocation.
But Canada finished 20th in a population-weighted military allocation, with analysts criticizing Ottawa for delays in providing the equipment Ukraine is seeking.
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said last week that at the end of the war, Canada wanted to “participate in protecting Ukraine”, although Ottawa has not yet said what it might be. Her office will not answer whether this means Canadian forces on the Ukrainian ground.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who will travel to Washington with Macron this week, said his administration is ready to deploy troops to Ukraine to help maintain the ceasefire if it happens.
Starmer's office said the two leaders made a phone call on Sunday before their trip to the United States and said Britain and Europe must “express a joint leader in Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.”
Nikolenko said Ukrainians in Canada felt exhausted and “angry” as the war continued and the geopolitical landscape changed, but would not say whether anger was targeting the United States
“Their anger is the war – the war continues, Russia fired drones and missiles into Ukrainian cities, and Ukrainian civilians continued to die,” he said. “They were angry because they wanted the war to end in a just way.
“I want to emphasize that there should be a just peace, and that’s what the Ukrainians want.”
– Documents with Canadian Press
& Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
