Trudeau will attend security summit in Ukraine on 3rd anniversary of war: Zelenskyy

In this file photo, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, attends a joint availability at the Mariinskiy Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine on Saturday, February 24, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette (Nathan Denette/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is to be in Kyiv on Monday along with a dozen other world leaders as Ukraine marks the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of that country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed during a news conference in Kyiv Sunday evening that he will meet with Trudeau in person, one of 13 foreign leaders attending a summit on peace and security for Ukraine.

“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be here with a visit here tomorrow,” Zelenskyy said in Ukrainian.

“He is chairing the G7 at the moment so he will tell me what is happening with the relationship with the U.S.”

The news conference was translated into English by Ukrainian broadcaster UATV.

Trudeau’s office has not responded to queries about the visit Sunday. This is his fourth visit to Ukraine since the war began, and almost certainly his last. He will step down March 9 when a new Liberal leader is elected.

“The problem Canada has is one of legitimacy, because we have a government right now which is in its last weeks before the new Liberal leader takes over,” said Colin Robertson, a vice-president and fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

“I think it’s right that (Trudeau is) going there, it’s consistent with the policies that he has adopted. But he won’t be the host of the G7, Canada is the host. It’s good that he’s there, but what actually can Canada do?”

In the same news conference Zelenskyy said he would be ready to give up the presidency if doing so would achieve a lasting peace for his country under the security umbrella of the NATO military alliance.

“If to achieve peace, you really need me to give up my post, I’m ready,” he said.

Responding to a journalist’s question on whether he’d trade his office for peace, Zelenskyy said, “I can trade it for NATO.”

His comment appeared to be aimed at recent suggestions by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that elections should be held in Ukraine despite Ukrainian legislation prohibiting them during martial law.

Trump’s officials have signalled that any agreement to end the war would not include returning Ukraine to its 2014 borders that existed before Russia’s first invasion a decade ago, nor would the country be able to join NATO.

He also has been harshly critical of Zelenskyy, blaming him for doing nothing as “his cities get demolished, as his people get killed.”

Canada has supported Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership.

Monday’s peace summit in Kyiv comes as the United States has been meeting with Russia in an attempt to broker a peace deal -- without Ukraine at the table.

In recent days Trump has accused Ukraine of starting the war and appeared to be trying to barter with Ukraine for access to its critical minerals as part of any peace process.

Trudeau has said that it’s crucial for Ukraine to be part of any peace talks, a point echoed by numerous European leaders, and reiterated by Trudeau in a phone call with Zelenskyy last week.

Trudeau also spoke Saturday with Trump by phone, and both countries said Ukraine was one of the topics of discussion.

Zelenskyy said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and delegates from Nordic and Baltic countries are also attending Monday’s summit in person, and two dozen leaders will join virtually.

“This is an important opportunity to discuss Ukraine’s strategy and the framework for security guarantees,” Zelenskyy said.

The agenda for the meeting is to focus heavily on long-term security and stability for Ukraine, and the co-operation needed from European and other global allies.

On Wednesday, Trudeau participated virtually in a meeting with European leaders convened by French President Emmanuel Macron to come up with a response to Trump’s overtures to Russia.

Earlier on Sunday, Zelenskyy said Russia launched 267 attack drones into Ukraine overnight on Saturday, more than in any other single attack of the war.

Ukraine’s air force said 138 drones had been shot down over 13 Ukrainian regions, with 119 more lost en route to their targets.

Three ballistic missiles had also been fired, the air force said. One person was killed in the city of Kryvyi Rih, according to the city military administration.

The attack came as leaders in Kyiv and across Europe are seeking to navigate rapid changes in U.S. foreign policy under Trump, whose recent words have raised fears that he would join with Moscow to force a settlement to the war without involving Ukraine and its European backers.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister on Saturday said preparations were underway for a Trump-Putin meeting, a further sign that the Russian leader’s isolation, at least for the Trump administration, was beginning to thaw.

Reacting to the latest Russian attacks, however, Andrii SybihaΓÇÄ, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that the overnight attack “demonstrates that avoiding calling Russia an aggressor does not change the fact that it is one.”

“No one should trust Putin’s words. Look at his actions instead,” SybihaΓÇÄ said in a statement on social media.

One of the biggest questions surrounding any peace deal is how to enforce it, and security guarantees are chief among the topics for discussion Monday.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said on Feb. 18 that Canada wants to be “involved in protecting Ukraine” when the war ends, though Ottawa has not said what that might entail. The British government has said it’s ready to deploy troops to Ukraine to help uphold a ceasefire if one occurs.

Canada has been among the most vocal supporters of Ukraine on the world stage, with Trudeau championing accountability for Russia in global forums.

The federal Liberals say they plan to champion Ukraine’s cause at the G7 foreign ministers' meeting Canada is hosting in Quebec next month as well as the G7 leaders' summit this June in Alberta.

Ottawa is a major donor to Ukraine, with the Kiel Institute for the World Economy ranking Canada as fifth in overall allocations in its Ukraine Support Tracker, which span military, financial and humanitarian contributions.

Canada ranks third for the amount of financial allocations of Ukraine, particularly in pledging loans meant to keep the country solvent and providing funding quickly after it is allocated.

But Canada takes the 20th spot for military allocations weighted by population, and analysts have criticized Ottawa for delays in providing equipment sought by Ukraine.

With files from Dylan Robertson in Ottawa, and The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb, 23, 2025.