OTTAWA 鈥� Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says there's a good chance that Russia could re-invade Ukraine if there are no security guarantees in a peace deal.
Her comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump engaged in a shocking verbal brawl in the White House on Friday.
The two countries were expected to sign a minerals deal today as part of efforts to end Ukraine's war with Russia, but after Zelenskyy insisted that the deal include security guarantees from the U.S., Trump showed open disdain for the Ukrainian president.
Zelenskyy left the White House and a planned news conference with Trump was cancelled.
The bizarre display prompted European leaders and Canadian politicians to line up in support of Ukraine online.
In a statement on social media, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada "will continue to stand with Ukraine and Ukrainians in achieving a just and lasting peace."
Joly spoke to reporters in Vancouver Friday afternoon.
"We think Ukrainians are fighting for their own freedoms, but also fighting for ours, and we know that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has no red lines," she said.
"If we don't have a good deal for Ukraine, if we're not supporting Ukraine, there's a real risk that President Putin will go back to Russia, re-arm and re-invade Ukraine."
She said that would pose a security threat not just to Ukraine but to NATO.
Joly said Canada continues to talk with European officials about continued support for Ukraine.
She said the world can't afford a bad deal because it would demonstrate that Russian President Vladimir Putin can take advantage of other countries, including the U.S.
"Clearly, the Russians are noting the interaction that happened today," Joly said.
"Our goal is to make sure that we can continue to support Ukrainians and that we can keep very strong G7 unity amidst all this unpredictability and sometimes even chaos."
While visiting Kyiv earlier this week, Trudeau said Canada could end up sending troops to the region as part of a peace deal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2025
David Baxter and Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
