Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Dublin for an informal meeting with European leaders, where he will hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the state of negotiations with Russia. Carney is attending the European Political Community summit, a forum created after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He told reporters the summit can help boost affordability and economic opportunity for Canadians through new partnerships with Europe. The prime minister is also set to have bilateral discussions with his counterparts from Greece and Cyprus, two European Union countries that have not ratified a decade-old trade deal with Europe.
Carney said the gathering delivers opportunity for Canadian youth, artists and companies. "It will deliver affordability, cutting red tape, more competition in Canada, more goods, more choice and security," he said in English. In French, he noted that security guarantees for Ukraine are a shared responsibility. "Security guarantees are a European responsibility, with Canada, with the United States. So there are tiers for security guarantees," Carney said at the start of the summit in Dublin. He added that his goal is to boost affordability and economic opportunity for Canada through these new partnerships.
Canada's unique role at the table
For the second time, Canada is the only non-European country represented at the summit table. The meeting brings together leaders from across the continent, spanning Iceland to Azerbaijan. Since the last gathering in May in Armenia, Carney and European Union leaders have floated the idea of Canada becoming an "associate member" of the EU, a title they have yet to define. The summit's Irish hosts have locked down a central part of Dublin, with police boats on the Liffey River and a heavy security presence for what the Irish government calls its largest ever gathering of international leaders.
Schools, newsrooms and an airline in Dublin reported receiving hoax bomb threats, which local authorities said were not credible. Zelenskyy is set to brief more than a dozen leaders, including Carney, who are assembled in a circle at a meeting co-hosted by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. He is expected to discuss talks held this week in Abu Dhabi with Russian officials, which were organized by U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The two are set to arrive in Dublin on Thursday evening to speak with Zelenskyy, following a talk earlier in the day in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Timing with other diplomatic events
The European Political Community summit occurs every six months, and leaders discuss geopolitical issues. Carney told reporters Thursday morning that attending the summit is meant to boost affordability and economic opportunity for Canada. The prime minister will be among more than a dozen leaders gathering to hear from Zelenskyy. Carney's participation comes ahead of his planned travel to Asia for further summits.
