OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney left Ottawa for Paris Monday morning to meet with Ukraine’s allies in a bid to end Russia’s war on the country.
Members of the “coalition of the willing,” which includes Canada, France and other European countries, are meeting in an attempt to accelerate a negotiated peace plan for Ukraine nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
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.
Carney’s office says 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.
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 Ukrainian President Volodymyr 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 that Ukraine and Russia were “closer than ever before” to a peace settlement, though he acknowledged that outstanding obstacles could prevent a deal.
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 that 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 instead to operate more like an “enforcement mission” that upholds any signed agreement between the two countries.
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 ring out 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.
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 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.
The Canadian Press
