Trudeau travels to the UK for security summit, focusing on Ukraine – country
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled to London this morning before tomorrow’s European Defense Summit to try to set conditions for Ukraine’s lasting peace.
The summit was announced earlier this week involving European leaders, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the new focus shortly after Friday's explosive meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kiev and Washington are expected to sign a key Minar deal as part of an effort to end Ukraine’s war with Russia, but Trump insists that the deal includes US security assurances, expressing contempt for Zelenskyy
Europe was shocked earlier this month by Trump's proposal to Russia and began to develop its own plans to strengthen its defense against Ukraine as part of Europe's core security interests.
Canada is not one of the countries invited to attend Sunday's meeting.
Intelligence researcher Steve Hewitt teaches Canadian research at the University of Birmingham, England.
“In many ways, it's a political statement,” Hewitt said.
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“There is a lot of symbolism around this conference.”
He said Trudeau and various European leaders posted support to Zelenskyy on social media, calling it a “clear positioning” which contradicts Trump, adding that the U.S. is concerned about Europe's security, which is “significant”.
“I don't think there's any similarity in the last 100 years, of course, because what's happening right now – not since World War II and the Cold War,” said historian Hewitt.
He has reached a parallel attitude between Britain's decision to withdraw from the EU and Canada and is no longer able to rely on the United States for defense and economic security. “In a sense, both countries have been mowed to a certain extent,” he said.
Starmer said he positioned the UK as a bridge between the United States and the EU, and Hewitt said Starmer would “try to make both sides happy, which is likely to eventually alienate both sides in the process.”
From this perspective, Canada is seeking close ties with partners outside the United States
Starmer will meet with Zelenskyy ahead of Sunday's talks and has also invited NATO, leaders of the European Commission, and more than a dozen countries including France, Germany, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands.
During his own visit to Washington, Starmer, when asked about his thoughts on the idea, caused a sensation among some Canadians.
Hewitt said the move was “very insulting” to many Canadians, but there were few media reports in the UK that, despite Canadians seeking Britain as close companion, some suggested that King Charles should weigh the Trump threat.
“It's a nostalgic idea that Britain is still actively caring about Canada, or that King Charles may not have anything to do with the British government – making some kind of political statement.”
“Those things are not going to happen, and I think the Starmer administration has figured out that they need to stay in the United States in some way.”
Hewitt has lived in the UK for 23 years and says he is frustrated by what is going on in Canada, and despite the historic link between Canada and the UK, the whole focus is on the United States”
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
