Trudeau pledges support for Ukraine

BRUSSELS • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is joining a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with Canada reiterating its broad support for Ukraine, but not whether it will back a move by Kyiv to join the military alliance amid tensions with Russia.

The federal government said last week Canada will continue to help address security threats in the region, but did not go as far as saying it would throw its unbridled support behind Ukraine’s push for NATO membership at the summit.

Ukraine’s call to join NATO comes ahead of this week’s first face-to-face meeting in Geneva between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, after years of strained relations between Moscow and western nations.

Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s border, Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections, and allegations that the Kremlin was behind the Solarwinds hacking campaign have all contributed to inflamed tensions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly lobbied to join the military alliance, raising the issue recently in separate discussions with Trudeau and Biden.

A readout from the Prime Minister’s Office said Trudeau and Zelensky discussed Russia’s actions, and “highlighted Canada’s continuing support for Ukraine’s Euro-atlantic aspirations” when they spoke last Tuesday.

Asked specifically whether Canada supports Ukraine having a membership action plan from NATO, a Trudeau spokeswoman said there was nothing to add.

Earlier, Global Affairs Canada did not answer a specific question on Ukraine joining NATO, saying that Canada “remains unwavering in its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and the people of Ukraine.” It also noted allies decided at the 2008 summit that Ukraine “will” eventually join the organization.

The Canadian government has in the past been an advocate of Ukraine joining NATO.

Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper expressed Canada’s “strong support” for the move, extolling Ukraine’s democratic reforms and both countries’ shared values.

At the time, Harper called on leaders to agree Ukraine be allowed to move along in the membership process and pledged that Canada would back the bid, so long as “the country keeps making progress on democratic reform and opening up its economy.”

The party still holds that view, a spokesperson for Conservative Leader Erin O’toole said in a statement.