Ukraine ‘must’ be part of peace talks, Trudeau says in call with Zelenskyy
Global News
The call was held amid increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Ukraine by U.S. President Donald Trump and concerns the U.S. is negotiating a peace deal directly with Russia.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s position that Ukraine “must” be included in negotiations to end Russia’s full-scale invasion during a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The call was held days after the U.S. held a first round of bilateral talks with Russian officials about ending the war, and as U.S. President Donald Trump increasingly attacks Zelenskyy — rhetoric the White House has refused to walk back.
“Prime Minister Trudeau reiterated that Canada will always stand in defence of Ukraine and emphasized that there can be no sustainable peace in Europe without security for Ukraine,” a readout of the call provided by the PMO said.
“The leaders stressed that any peaceful end to the conflict must include Ukraine at the negotiating table.”
Trudeau and Zelenskyy also discussed efforts to secure “a lasting peace that enables a strong, democratic, and prosperous Ukraine,” according to the readout.
The past week has seen a flurry of events that has left Ukraine and European leaders feeling sidelined from talks to end the nearly three-year-long war, as well as growing concern over Trump’s comments about Ukraine.
Officials from Washington and Moscow, after holding talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, said the meeting was a first step and that the U.S.-Russia relationship needed repairing before Ukraine can be brought into future peace negotiations.
On Wednesday, Trump described Zelenskyy as a “dictator” and warned that he “better move fast” to negotiate an end to the war or risk not having a nation to lead. NATO allies have condemned any questioning of Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as Ukraine’s elected leader.
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