Carney in Paris to discuss Canada’s role in possible Ukraine ceasefire – National

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will continue to build its military power in the years to come, in part so it can play a role in providing security guarantees to Ukraine.

Carney is in Paris to meet with Ukraine’s allies to discuss the role Canada could play in securing a possible ceasefire in the country. war with Russia.

At a news conference at the Canadian Embassy, ​​Carney said negotiations on peace and security guarantees for Ukraine were “90 percent of the way there.”

He says this is what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, also in Paris.

Carney says the remaining parts of a possible peace deal will have to be negotiated by Ukraine, Russia and the United States.

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The prime minister said Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy for the Middle East and peace missions, and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser, would be present at the meeting.

The “coalition of the willing,” a group of more than 30 countries committed to supporting Ukrainemeets in Paris as ceasefire talks reach critical juncture.

Carney is expected to meet directly with a number of world leaders, including Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, and heads of state from Denmark and Finland.

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A senior government official, speaking to reporters aboard the Paris-bound plane, said security guarantees for Ukraine would be an important part of the negotiations.

The official said Canada has been in talks for months to make an “appropriate and serious contribution” to those guarantees and that Ottawa’s recent efforts to increase defense spending have allowed the country to play a greater role in transatlantic security.

While international news has been dominated in recent days by the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Madurothe official said the leaders’ conversations Tuesday would focus on Ukraine.