Carney will meet with Ukraine’s allies in Paris as ceasefire talks intensify

By Canadian Press on January 2, 2026.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to France next week to meet with Ukraine’s allies as talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in Russia’s war intensify.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Friday that Carney will be in Paris on Monday and Tuesday to meet with the “coalition of the willing” in an effort to push forward a ceasefire deal for Ukraine.

In a media statement, Carney said his focus remains on fortifying Ukraine and deterring future Russian aggression as Ukraine seeks security guarantees from the United States and other nations.

Carney’s office said Canada is working with coalition allies to boost Ukraine’s defence capabilities and support the nation’s long-term recovery, and seeks the return of Ukrainian children “unlawfully deported” during the war with Russia.

Russia has been engaged in full-scale war with Ukraine for nearly four years, though the conflict dates back to at least 2014 and Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. Canada has joined other allies in Europe and beyond in backing Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Canada, which has been among the largest contributors per capita to Ukraine’s recovery, announced $2.5 billion in financing and loan guarantees when Carney met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Halifax on Saturday.

Ottawa pegs the total value of Canada’s commitments to Ukraine at $23.5 billion to date, of which $12 billion came in the form of direct financial support.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who hosted Zelenskyy his Mar-a-Lago resort on Sunday, insisted that Ukraine and Russia were “closer than ever before” to a peace settlement, though he acknowledged that outstanding obstacles could prevent a deal.

In his New Year’s address, Zelenskyy said a peace deal was “90 per cent ready” but warned that the remaining 10 per cent — believed to include key sticking points, such as territory — would “determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, how people will live.”

The U.S.-led peace efforts hit a new obstacle earlier this week when Moscow said it would toughen its negotiating stand after what it claimed was a long-range drone attack on a residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in northwestern Russia early Monday.

Kyiv has denied attacking Putin’s residence, saying the Russian claim was a ruse to derail the negotiations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2026.

— With files from The Associated Press

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press