Trudeau says democracy at stake as Ukraine kept away from peace talks

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a press conference in Montreal on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ukraine must have a seat at the table in any peace talks, now that negotiations between Washington and Moscow have left Canadian and European leaders grappling with how to respond.

“Canada and our allies are unequivocal on standing up against (Russian President) Vladimir Putin’s illegal, immoral, unjust violations of the international order,” Trudeau told reporters Wednesday in Montreal.

U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that Ukraine somehow triggered the war, which started with Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine and escalated nearly three years ago with a full-scale invasion.

Trump’s officials have been meeting with Putin’s representatives, to the dismay of European allies who have been given mixed messages on whether American troops would help to enforce any peace arrangement.

The prime minister said it is “a fundamental principle” for Canada and most of its allies that Ukraine must be part of any discussions on ending the war.

Trudeau spoke Wednesday afternoon with European leaders convened by French President Emmanuel Macron to come up with a response to Trump’s overtures to Russia.

Macron said on social media that the talks included Trudeau and leaders from EU countries, Iceland and Norway. He said the leaders agreed on the need to spend more on defence and have “robust and credible” security guarantees.

“We stand alongside Ukraine and will take all our responsibilities to ensure peace and security in Europe,” he wrote in French on the platform X, saying more decisions would be made “in the coming days and weeks.”

Trudeau said earlier in the day that democracy is at risk if countries are allowed to invade their neighbours.

“Ukrainians have been fighting and dying not just to protect their sovereignty, their territorial integrity. They’re also fighting to protect the rules-based order that keeps us all safe around the world, and has for close to 80 years now,” he said.

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress said in a statement that it’s “crystal clear” the U.S. “is no longer a reliable ally” to Canada and Europe, and urged both to do more to arm Ukraine.

The group also called on allies to proceed with long-discussed plans to seize billions of dollars of frozen Russian assets held in foreign banks, and forfeit the funds to fuel Ukraine’s war effort.

“U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent statement that Ukraine is to blame for Russia’s genocidal invasion is as revolting as it is false,” the group’s head Alexandra Chyczij wrote, saying the president’s comments will embolden Russia.

“Russia invaded Ukraine for no reason other than to destroy the Ukrainian state and annihilate the Ukrainian people.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2025.

By Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press