Trudeau heads to U.K. for security summit where the focus is on Ukraine

The summit was announced earlier in the week to involve European leaders, but takes on a new focus with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attending.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on his way to London this morning ahead of a European defence summit tomorrow seeking to set the conditions toward a lasting peace in Ukraine.

The summit was announced earlier in the week to involve European leaders, but takes on a new focus with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attending, shortly after an explosive meeting 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 U.S.

Europe was rattled earlier this month by Trump’s overtures toward Russia and began making their own plans to beef up 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, says the fact Trudeau is going to the summit sends a message on whom Ottawa sees as its partners.

“It’s a sort of political statement in many ways,” Hewitt said.

“There’s a huge amount of symbolism around this meeting.”