prime minister Mark Carney will be in Paris on Monday to meet with Ukraine allies in an effort to end Russia's war with this country.
The meeting of the “coalition of the willing,” which includes countries such as Canada, France and other European countries, is seeking to speed up an agreed peace plan for Ukraine nearly four years after the Russian invasion.
In a media statement issued Friday, Carney said his focus remains on strengthening Ukraine and deterring future Russian aggression as Ukraine seeks security guarantees from the United States and other countries.
Carney's office says Canada is working with coalition allies to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities and support the country's long-term recovery, and is seeking the return of Ukrainian children “illegally deported” during the war with Russia.
Canada, which has made the largest per capita contribution to Ukraine's recovery, announced $2.5 billion in funding and loan guarantees when Carney met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Halifax late last month.
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US President Donald Trump, who hosted Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago resort a day later, insisted that Ukraine and Russia were “closer than ever before” to a peace resolution, although he acknowledged that serious obstacles could prevent a deal being reached.
Benjamin Zyla, a professor at the University of Ottawa's department of international development and global studies, said the peace plan now under review leaves key issues for Ukraine to consider, including territorial integrity.
“It’s up to the Ukrainians to decide, and the Canadian government has made it clear that it’s up to the Ukrainians to decide,” Zyla said.
“The second important issue is the issue of protecting Ukrainian territory if Ukraine and Russia reach a peace agreement in the near future.”
He said an international peacekeeping force was vital to any agreement to protect Ukraine from further action by Russia, but it would not be like peacekeeping missions of the past. Instead, Zeel said, the force will have to act more like an “enforcement mission” that upholds any signed agreement between the two countries.
The meeting came days after the United States airlifted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife out of the country in a military operation that included multiple explosions as low-flying planes flew over the capital.
Zyla said talk about what happened in Venezuela would likely be a topic of discussion between the leaders, including whether the invasion would have any impact on reaching an agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
“It is too early to say what such consequences might be, although most experts consider this a flagrant violation of international law,” Zyla said.
Carney responded Saturday afternoon to Maduro's resignation, noting that one of the first actions taken by his new government in March was to impose additional sanctions against his “brutally repressive and criminal regime.”
In a statement posted on social media, Carney said Canada has not recognized “the illegitimate Maduro regime since it stole the 2018 election.”
“The Canadian government therefore welcomes the opportunity for freedom, democracy, peace and prosperity for the Venezuelan people,” Carney wrote.
But he also wrote that Canada has “long supported a peaceful, negotiated transition process led by Venezuela that respects the democratic will of the Venezuelan people,” adding that Canada calls on all parties to respect international law.
“We support the sovereign right of the Venezuelan people to decide and build their own future in a peaceful and democratic society,” Carney said in a statement.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
