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Prime Minister Marc Carney will be in Paris on Monday for a meeting with Ukraine allies in an effort to end Russia’s war against the country.
The meeting of the “coalition of the willing,” made up of countries including Canada, France and other European countries, seeks to accelerate a negotiated peace plan for Ukraine nearly four years after the Russian invasion.
In a press release issued Friday, Carney said he remains focused on fortifying 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 its 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, among the largest per capita contributors to Ukraine’s recovery, announced $2.5 billion in financing and loan guarantees when Carney met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Halifax late last month.
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US President Donald Trump, who hosted Zelensky a day later at his Mar-a-Lago resort, insisted that Ukraine and Russia were “closer than ever” to a peace deal, while acknowledging that lingering obstacles could prevent a deal.
Benjamin Zyla, a professor in the department of international development and global studies at the University of Ottawa, said the peace plan currently on the table leaves Ukraine thinking about key issues, 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 big question is how to protect Ukrainian territory if Ukraine and Russia reach a peace agreement in the near future.”
He said an international peace force is essential to any deal to protect Ukraine from further actions by Russia, but would not resemble peacekeeping missions of the past. Instead, Zyla said the force should operate more as an “enforcement mission” that respects any agreement signed between the two countries.
The meeting comes days after the United States expelled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from the country in a military operation that saw multiple explosions ring out as low-flying planes flew over the nation’s capital.
Zyla said discussions about what happened in Venezuela will likely be a topic addressed by leaders, including whether that invasion will impact reaching a deal between Russia and Ukraine.
“It is too early to say what such an impact might be, although most experts consider it a blatant violation of international law,” Zyla said.
Carney responded Saturday afternoon to Maduro’s ouster by pointing out that one of the first steps taken by his new government in March was to impose additional sanctions on his “brutally oppressive and criminal regime.”
In a statement posted on social media, Carney noted that 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 transition process, negotiated and led by Venezuela, that respects the democratic will of the Venezuelan people,” adding that Canada calls on all parties to respect international law.
“We defend the sovereign right of the Venezuelan people to decide and build their own future in a peaceful and democratic society,” Carney’s statement said.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
