prime minister Justin Trudeau Is on the way to London in front of a European defense summit this morning to determine the conditions for permanent peace in Ukraine.
The summit was announced at the beginning of the week to include the European leaders, but takes a new focus on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, shortly after an explosive meeting on Friday with US President Donald Trump in the White House.
It was expected Ukraine War with Russia, but Trump showed open contempt for Zelenskyy after insisting that the deal included security guarantees from the USA
At the beginning of this month, Trump’s overtures were directed towards Russia and made its own plans to improve the defense of Ukraine, and saw it as part of the European nuclear security interests.
Canada was not mentioned as one of the countries that were invited to join the Sunday seat when the British Prime Minister Keir Starrer discussed the event with Trump during his trip to Washington at the beginning of this week.
Steve Hewitt, a secret service researcher who teaches Canadian studies at the University of Birmingham in England, says that the fact that Trudeau goes to the summit sends a message about which Ottawa looks at as a partner.
“It is a kind of political statement in many ways,” said Hewitt.
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“There is a large amount of symbolism in this meeting.”
He said that symbolism can also be seen in Trudeau and various European managers who publish Zelenskyy on social media, and describes it as a “clear positioning” that is contradicted by Trump, and added that it is “remarkable” that the United States is demanding the security concerns of Europe.
“I don’t think there has been a parallel in the past 100 years in the past 100 years – certainly not with the Cold War since World War II,” said Hewitt, the historian.
He drew a parallel between the British decision to leave the European Union, and Canada could no longer rely on the United States for defense and economic security. “In a sense, both countries were cut to a certain extent,” he said.
Starrer said he positioned Great Britain as a bridge between the USA and the European Union, and Hewitt said that Starer will “try to make both sides happy, and it could possibly alienate both sides.”
In this light, Canada is looking for stronger relationships with other partners than the USA
Starer will meet with Zelenskyy before the talks on Sunday and also invited leader from NATO, the European Commission, as well as more than a dozen countries, including France, Germany, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands.
During his own visit to Washington, Starmer made a few Canadians by deciding to push back Trump’s speech from Canada when he was asked about his thoughts about the idea.
Hewitt said that the move was “very offensive” for many Canadians, but had little reporting in the media in Great Britain, although Canadian sought the United Kingdom as a close partner and suggest that King Charles Trump’s threats should weigh up.
“There is a bit of nostalgia (in). This idea that Britain is still actively taking care of Canada or that King Charles – regardless of the British government – could make a political statement,” he said.
“These things will not happen, and I think the government of the Strander has calculated that they somehow have to stay on the United States.”
Hewitt has lived in Great Britain for 23 years and says that he is frustrated by “Untruth here, what is happening in Canada, and the entire focus is on the USA – despite the historical relationships between Canada and Great Britain”.
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