Trudeau off to security summit in London, as Trump's Ukraine comments rile Europeans
Relations between Kyiv, Washington tense following explosive White House meeting
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau left for London on Saturday morning ahead of a European defence summit seeking to set the conditions toward a lasting peace in Ukraine.
Sunday's summit was announced earlier in the week to involve European leaders, but it takes on a new focus with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attending, shortly after an explosive meeting on Friday with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
Kyiv and Washington were expected to sign a critical minerals deal as part of efforts to end Ukraine's war with Russia, but Trump showed open disdain for Zelenskyy after he insisted the deal include security guarantees from the United States.
Europe was rattled earlier this month by Trump's overtures toward Russia and began making its own plans to beef up the defence of Ukraine, seeing it as part of Europe's core security interests.
Canada was not mentioned as one of the countries invited to join the Sunday meeting when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed the event during his trip to Washington to meet with Trump earlier this week.
Steve Hewitt, an intelligence researcher who teaches Canadian studies at the University of Birmingham in England, said the fact that Trudeau is going to the summit sends a message on whom Ottawa sees as its partners.
"It's a sort of a political statement in many ways," Hewitt said. "There's a huge amount of symbolism around this meeting."
That symbolism can also be seen in the support for Zelenskyy being posted on social media by Trudeau and various European leaders, he said, calling it "a clear positioning" that is at odds with Trump, adding that it's "remarkable" the U.S. is pushing back on Europe's security concerns.
"I don't think there is any parallel, certainly in the last 100 years, for what's happening at the moment — certainly not since World War II with the Cold War," said Hewitt, who is a historian.
Russia illegally and unjustifiably invaded Ukraine. <br> <br>For three years now, Ukrainians have fought with courage and resilience. Their fight for democracy, freedom, and sovereignty is a fight that matters to us all.<br> <br>Canada will continue to stand with Ukraine and…
—@JustinTrudeauHe drew a parallel between Britain's decision to exit the European Union and Canada no longer being able to rely on the U.S. for defence and economic security. "Both countries, in a sense, have been cut adrift, to a certain extent," he said.
Starmer has said he is positioning the U.K. as a bridge between the U.S. and the European Union, and Hewitt said the British prime minister will "try to keep both sides happy, and it may well end up alienating both sides in the process."
In that light, Canada is seeking stronger ties with partners other than the U.S.
Starmer is set to meet with Zelenskyy ahead of Sunday's talks, and he has also invited leaders from NATO, the European Commission and more than a dozen countries, including France, Germany, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who will be in London, told Portuguese TV RTP in an interview he posted on X on Saturday that if Europe wanted to move toward "greater autonomy" in matters of defence and nuclear deterrence, then its leaders should start a discussion about nuclear deterrence for Europe.
During his own visit to Washington, Starmer caused a stir among some Canadians by opting against pushing back on Trump's talk of annexing Canada, when asked his thoughts on the idea.
Hewitt said the move was "very insulting" to many Canadians but has had little media coverage in Britain, despite Canadians seeking the U.K. as a close partner and some suggesting King Charles should weigh in on Trump's threats.
"There is a bit of a nostalgia [in] this idea that the U.K. still actively cares about Canada or that King Charles might — independently of the British government — make some sort of political statement," he said.
"Those things aren't going to happen, and I think the Starmer government has calculated that they need to somehow stay on the side of the United States."
Hewitt, who has lived in Britain for 23 years, said he is frustrated by "obliviousness here to what is happening in Canada, and the whole focus is on the U.S. — despite the historic ties between Canada and the U.K."
With files from Reuters