OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney left Ottawa for Paris Monday for a meeting with Ukraine’s allies to pursue security agreements to prevent Russia from repeating its invasion if a ceasefire deal is reached.
Members of the group referred to as the “coalition of the willing,” which includes Canada, France and other European countries, are meeting Tuesday in an attempt to accelerate a negotiated peace plan for Ukraine nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The talks are expected to include the leaders of about 30 countries and follow recent moves by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to revamp his government. Zelenskyy appointed a new chief of staff last Friday and on Monday replaced the head of Ukraine’s security service and named former Canadian deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland as an economic development adviser.
In a media statement issued Friday, Carney said his focus remains on fortifying Ukraine and deterring future Russian aggression as Ukraine seeks security guarantees from the United States and other nations.
The statement went on to say Canada is working with allies to boost Ukraine’s defence capabilities and support the nation’s long-term recovery, and seeks the return of Ukrainian children “unlawfully deported” during the war with Russia.
Zelenskyy met Saturday with national security advisers from at least 15 countries, and with representatives from Europe and NATO, to discuss the peace process. David Angell, Carney’s foreign and defence policy adviser, attended those meetings, said
Laura Scaffidi, the prime minister’s press secretary.
Canada, which has been among the largest contributors per capita to Ukraine’s recovery, announced $2.5 billion in financing and loan guarantees when Carney met Zelenskyy in Halifax at the end of last month.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who hosted Zelenskyy a day later at his Mar-a-Lago resort, insisted Ukraine and Russia were “closer than ever before” to a peace settlement, though he acknowledged that outstanding obstacles could prevent a deal. In his New Year’s address, Zelenskyy said a proposed U.S.-brokered peace deal was “90 per cent ready” but the outstanding issues included the future of disputed territory.
Benjamin Zyla, a professor with the University of Ottawa’s international development and global studies department, said the peace plan currently on the table leaves key issues for Ukraine to ponder, including territorial integrity.
“That is for the Ukrainians to decide and the Canadian government has made this clear that it’s only for Ukrainians to decide,” Zyla said.
“The second major issue is the question of protecting the Ukrainian territory should Ukraine and Russia reach a peace agreement in the near future.”
He said while an international peace force would be vital to any agreement to protect Ukraine from further Russian aggression, it wouldn’t be like peacekeeping missions of the past. Zyla said it would need to operate more like an “enforcement mission” that upholds a signed agreement between the two countries.
Carney’s itinerary for Tuesday shows he is to meet with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Paris before the coalition meeting, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The meeting in Paris comes days after the U.S. extracted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from the country in a military operation that saw multiple explosions as low-flying aircraft swept through the nation’s capital.
Zyla said what happened in Venezuela likely will come up at the meeting in Paris as the assembled leaders discuss whether the invasion will have any impact on prospects for a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
“It’s too early to tell what such an impact might be, even though most experts consider it a blatant breach of international law,” he said.
Trump on Sunday also renewed his calls for an American takeover of Greenland, a Danish territory, which he calls a matter of national security. The Arctic island also has vast stores of critical minerals the U.S. needs.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement that Trump has “no right to annex” the territory. She also reminded Trump that Denmark already provides the United States, a fellow member of NATO, broad access to Greenland through existing security agreements.
“I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale,” Frederiksen said.
Carney is set to have a bilateral meeting with Frederiksen in Paris, just prior to the Ukraine allies meeting.
Carney will also meet privately with Finland’s President Alexander Stubb before returning to Canada Tuesday evening.
Carney reacted on Saturday to Maduro’s ouster by noting that one of the first actions taken by his new government in March was to impose additional sanctions on his “brutally oppressive and criminal regime.”
In a statement posted to social media, Carney noted that Canada has not recognized “the illegitimate regime of Maduro since it stole the 2018 election.”
“The Canadian government therefore welcomes the opportunity for freedom, democracy, peace, and prosperity for the Venezuelan people,” the prime minister wrote.
On Sunday, Carney spoke with María Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
A readout of the call from the Prime Minister’s Office said that both leaders condemned Maduro’s “brutally oppressive, criminal and illegitimate regime” and Carney thanked Machado for being a “resolute” voice for the Venezuelan people.
Carney said Canada supports a “peaceful, negotiated, and Venezuelan-led transition process” that focuses on the democratic will of the Venezuelan people, according to the readout.
The two leaders agreed to stay in contact.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2026.
-With files from The Associated Press
The Canadian Press
