Trudeau says Ukraine decides how war with Russia ends, praises cancelling U.S. trips

By Canadian Press on February 12, 2025.

BRUSSELS — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it’s up to Ukrainians to decide how the war with Russia ends.

At a press conference today in Brussels, Trudeau pushed back on comments made earlier today by U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said it’s unrealistic for Ukraine to maintain the borders that existed before Russia’s 2014 invasion.

Trudeau is wrapping up a one-day visit to the Belgian capital focused on deepening Canada’s trade and defence ties with Europe as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens Canada’s economy and talks about making the country an American state.

Trudeau says he’s inspired by Canadians choosing to cancel vacations to the U.S. and support the domestic economy.

But he did not explain why there have been so few public comments from Canada’s allies pushing back on Trump’s verbal attacks on Canadian sovereignty.

The Brussels visit follows a major artificial intelligence summit in Paris, where Trudeau said the Liberals plan to use Canada’s G7 presidency to push for safeguards and investment in AI technologies.

Earlier today, Trudeau met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and the European Union’s two most senior leaders, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.

Von der Leyen said in her welcoming remarks the story of Canada and the European Union is the story of good allies and trusted friends, adding “trust is very much needed in an unpredictable world.”

Trudeau said the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement has created “tremendous prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic.”

“It’s something we’re very much talking about doing even more of in a reliable and trustworthy way,” he said in his remarks to media.

Ottawa has signed agreements to export hydrogen to Germany and has launched talks with Brussels on how Canada can supply critical minerals for things like electrical vehicles.

That collaboration might deepen as European leaders join Canadians in pushing back on Trump’s threats of damaging tariffs and territorial expansion.

Trump signed an order Feb. 1 to impose punishing tariffs on Canada — 10 per cent on energy and 25 per cent on all other imports — but paused them until March 4 pending what he called an effort to make an economic deal with Canada.

He also has repeatedly blasted EU policies and threatened to impose tariffs on European goods, singling out the European auto industry in particular.

The president’s repeated remarks about purchasing or annexing Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, have also prompted emergency meetings of EU leaders. Their concerns echo those of Trudeau, who said last week that Trump’s stated desire to make Canada a U.S. state is “a real thing.”

The Liberals have said increased trade with Europe is one of the options they’re leaning on to navigate a more uncertain relationship with the U.S.

Trade between Canada and EU countries has been rising since the CETA trade deal came into force provisionally in 2017 — despite the fact that some countries, including Belgium and France, have avoided full ratification.

Ties between Canada and the EU could be further bolstered through a defence and security pact now being negotiated.

A Jan. 9 agenda for the EU council’s permanent representatives committee, which co-ordinates the body’s high-level plans, included an item seeking “authorization to negotiate” a protocol for an eventual “EU-Canada security and defence partnership.”

Brussels started forming security pacts with other countries last year, after taking up the idea in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The EU signed deals with Japan and South Korea last November. They both called for “promoting concrete naval co-operation,” such as joint exercises, exchanging information on defence industries and allowing military vessels to dock for repair or resupply.

Brussels also has signed pacts with four European countries that aren’t part of the EU, focusing on issues like underwater infrastructure and border management.

Last September, Global Affairs Canada sent Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly a briefing note marked “for decision” with the topic “Security and Defence Partnership Between Canada and the European Union.”

The briefing note’s contents were redacted under exemptions to access-to-information law and the department would not describe the document’s contents, citing confidentiality.

“Canada and the EU have a strong and multi-faceted relationship, and this includes on security and defence issues,” the department wrote in a media statement.

Canada is already part of defence agreements with the EU that, among other things, allow it to move military equipment across EU borders to support Ukraine. It also has sent small numbers of officials to help with EU defence missions.

The EU has been taking on a larger role in continental defence, after decades of focusing on economic integration.

Since 2009, the EU has had a mutual defence clause that says members have an obligation to assist any other member that is “the victim of armed aggression on its territory.”

The idea of an EU army has been discussed over the decades. French President Emmanuel Macron is particularly enthusiastic about the idea and has argued it would reduce the continent’s reliance on American support.

Trudeau’s visit comes ahead of meetings in Brussels of the NATO military alliance and the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which will be attended by Defence Minister Bill Blair.

— With files from Dylan Robertson

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 12, 2025.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press