As U.S. President Donald Trump continues to reverse American policy on Russia’s war on Ukraine, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says she still believes the U.S. can be brought “on board” to guarantee Ukraine’s security.
“I’ve been (in Europe) for two weeks. I’ve been to Paris. I’ve been to Germany and Munich. I’ve been to Brussels and the EU but now I’m here in London, making sure we have the same understanding with our allies, and making sure also that we can bring the Americans on board,” Joly said in an interview with CTV’s Power Play on Monday.
Joly’s comments come as world leaders – including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – convened in Kyiv on Monday to mark the third anniversary of the war on Ukraine and declare support for that country.
The anniversary, meanwhile, is happening under the backdrop of Trump’s recent remarks toward Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, calling him a “dictator” and falsely accusing him of starting the war with Russia. Trump eventually, but tepidly, walked back those comments and acknowledged Russia invaded Ukraine.
Last week, U.S and Russian officials also held talks in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war, but did not invite Ukraine to take part.
When pressed by host Vassy Kapelos on why she believes Trump can still “get on board” with Canada and European allies’ support for Ukraine – despite Trump’s rhetoric – Joly said “what I’m telling you is based on the information” and that Trump “knows that he cannot get a bad deal.”
“We’ve been able to get a consensus on the importance of security,” Joly said. “Today, the prime minister was in Kyiv, along with many other G7 leaders, and President Trump participated. So I think that was a constructive dialog, and we need to continue to engage on that.”
Joly did acknowledge, however, that Canada disagrees with the Trump administration’s current stance on Ukraine.
“When it comes to the U.S., we don’t agree with their approach that Russia is not an aggressor. We think that it is absolutely not case,” Joly said to Kapelos. “I think that when it comes to the position of the U.S., we understand that it has changed, and we take stock of that.”
The foreign affairs minister also reiterated Canada is “committed” to helping bring peace back to Europe, and that countries “need to follow the rules that have kept us safe since the Second World War.”
Earlier Monday, Trudeau announced that Canada will provide $5 billion in aid to Ukraine using revenues from frozen Russian assets, after years of Ottawa promising to forfeit holdings associated with Russia’s government and its oligarchs.
Will Canada send troops to Ukraine?
Speaking at a joint media conference in Kyiv, Trudeau did not rule out sending Canadian troops to Ukraine as part of a possible ceasefire deal.
“We will work with our neighbours on it, but everything is on the table,” Trudeau said.
When pressed by reporters later on that possibility, Trudeau said a ceasefire deal is the “first priority.”
“We will continue to look for ways to engage, but the first priority is to make sure that there is a ceasefire and that we set up the conditions for a lasting peace,” Trudeau said. “When we establish the way we’re going to keep a lasting peace, I can tell you, I’m certain that Canada will be involved, but we’re not at that position yet.”
Asked by Kapelos to clarify the prospect of Canadian boots on the ground in Ukraine, Joly said “things are very fluid.”
“The question is what do security guarantees mean? What would be the involvement of Europeans? What would be the involvement of Americans? What would be the involvement of us?” Joly said. “This is the conversation we’re having.”
Last week, Joly said she wants Canadians to play a role in keeping the peace in Ukraine after Russia’s war ends.
Should Ukraine join NATO?
As the war continues, Ukraine has been pushing to join NATO. On Sunday, Zelenskyy even said he would be willing to “give up” his presidency in exchange for peace or membership to the alliance.
While U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently pushed back against that idea, Joly said Canada still supports Ukraine’s bid.
“We believe that the best security guarantee … is the fact that Ukraine should be part of NATO,” Joly said.
As part of NATO, members have agreed under Article 5 that an attack on one ally is considered an attack against all allies.
In recent weeks, Trump has threatened annexation on Canada by continuously referring to the country as the 51st state.
Asked by Kapelos whether that threat undermines the existence of NATO, Joly would not answer directly, but instead, reiterated the importance of the security alliance.
“Canada’s position will always be that Article Five, which you’re saying an attack on one is an attack on all, is the very principle of NATO, and we understand that we need to invest more in defence and that we need to do our part,” Joly said.
