Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met on Sunday and discussed ways in which Canada can assist in Ukraine's security.SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images
Canadian support for Ukraine in the event of a peace plan in its war with Russia could take many forms, Defence Minister David McGuinty said Monday, listing equipment and intelligence sharing as options under consideration.
The minister spoke with reporters in Warsaw, just hours after returning from Kyiv with Mark Carney, where the Prime Minister said he “would not exclude the presence of troops” as a form of Canadian support for a postwar Ukraine.
Mr. McGuinty described their meetings Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials to mark the country’s Independence Day as both productive and emotional.
“The Prime Minister was clear yesterday about the question of having Canadian forces on the ground. He said that he wouldn’t rule it out, and he was speaking in the context of a whole series of possible responses,” Mr. McGuinty said. “That could take the role of more intelligence support, more logistical support, equipment, financial support.”
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Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s high-profile efforts to arrange peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, talks have stalled. Russia has so far rejected the position of Ukrainian allies who have called for a ceasefire as a first step toward a peace plan. It is a key point of contention in the discussions about how to end the conflict.
Among Ukraine’s supporters, talks have intensified about ways to assist the country in the event of a ceasefire. However, support for sending soldiers to Ukraine is controversial or a non-starter among several European nations.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who met with Mr. Carney at the Polish Chancellery in Warsaw on Monday, ruled out the possibility.
“We will be co-operating closely in this field with Canada. I have also confirmed that Poland does not intend to send troops on a mission in Ukraine after the war, but Poland would be responsible for logistics, for organizing help for Ukraine – for protecting also the European-Russia border,” Mr. Tusk said at a news conference with Mr. Carney, according to a translation of his comments.
Poland has accepted about a million refugees from Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion. It is also a key logistical and training hub for Western support entering the country.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Defence Minister David McGuinty meet with troops stationed in Warsaw as part of Operation Unifier, which provides training to Ukrainian soldiers.
The Canadian Press
Germany is divided on the issue of sending soldiers to Ukraine. Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said Germany would “live up to its responsibility” and that “reliable security guarantees are needed to ensure lasting peace for Ukraine.” But Markus Soder of the Christian Democrats said without American forces, the idea of German soldiers in Ukraine “makes no sense.”
Britain and France have indicated a willingness to send soldiers as part of a peacekeeping force.
In Warsaw, Mr. Carney pointed to Canada’s plan to dramatically increase defence spending, as a part of a June pledge by NATO members to boost spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2035, from a current target of 2 per cent, as well as an additional 1.5 per cent on defence-related spending such as infrastructure.
After Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Poland significantly increased its defence spending to a projected 4.7 per cent of GDP this year, up from 2.7 per cent in 2022.
In a joint statement, Mr. Carney and Mr. Tusk also stated they discussed joint energy projects in hydropower, small modular reactors and the oil and gas sector.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Carney visited Canada’s embassy in Warsaw, where he met with Canadian Armed Forces soldiers stationed in Europe as part of Operation Unifier, which provides training to Ukrainian troops.
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Catherine Godin, Canada’s ambassador to Poland, told reporters there are economic opportunities for Canadian and European companies that will flow from NATO’s new spending targets.
Poland hosts an annual Defence Industry Exhibition conference, and Ms. Godin said Canadian companies can expand their markets at a time of high demand.
“It’s a very good opportunity for Canada to demonstrate the attractiveness of our product,” she said, adding that about 40 Canadian companies are participating this year and she expects that number to rise next year.
Mr. McGuinty, the Defence Minister, said the Liberal government wants the increased defence spending to provide economic benefits to Canada.
“It is also aimed at generating a lot more economic activity in this area,” he said in French. “That’s exactly why we’re creating a Canadian industrial strategy in defence, for the first time in the country’s history.”
Mr. McGuinty will continue to travel with the Prime Minister to Berlin on Tuesday, and then to Riga, the capital of Latvia, on Wednesday, where Canada leads a multinational NATO brigade involving about 2,000 Canadian Forces members.