Canada seeks role in security guarantees for Ukraine – Foreign Minister

She stressed Canada's intention to push the United States to include Ukraine in negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. This comes after Washington suggested that Ukraine might lose territory and will not be able to join NATO.

Joly noted that while European countries are open to closer ties with Canada, many do not fully grasp the extent to which U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is challenging Canada’s economy.

She insisted that the conflict in Ukraine must not end on terms that would allow Russia to further destabilize Europe. She stressed that Canada wants to contribute to ensuring long-term peace, especially amid Washington's mixed signals on whether U.S. troops will help enforce a peace agreement.

“We want to be part of these conversations about security guarantees," she said.

"We want to be part of discussions about increasing Canadian involvement in defending Ukraine. ”

Debate over NATO troop deployment in Ukraine

Discussions about sending foreign troops to Ukraine resurfaced in November 2024 following Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election.

On Dec. 3, 2024, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported, citing a senior NATO official, that France and the UK were exploring options for guaranteeing Ukraine’s security in case of peace negotiations with Russia. One proposal involved deploying troops from both countries along the front line to monitor a ceasefire.

On Dec. 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine supports France’s initiative to deploy a military contingent on its territory as part of security guarantees and called on international partners to join these efforts.

On Feb. 11, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the United States will not send troops to Ukraine but emphasized that President Trump was hoping for a quick peace agreement.

On Feb. 13, Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine will need 100,000 peacekeepers to secure a post-war settlement and said that Ukrainian military officials had developed a map detailing the actual need for foreign troops.

On Feb. 14, the Ukrainian president reiterated that the country was open to any peacekeeping contingent.

On Feb. 16, The Telegraph reported that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared he was “ready and willing” to send British troops to Ukraine to help enforce any peace agreement.

Additionally, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard stated that Sweden does not rule out sending troops to Ukraine as part of a post-war peacekeeping mission.