Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada is intensifying its diplomatic efforts with other countries in light of the United States changing its approach to the Russia-Ukraine war.
“I’ve been Foreign Minister now for three years and a half, and it’s never been so intense in terms of diplomatic engagement, to say the least,” Joly said during a Feb. 24 virtual press conference from the United Kingdom, where she was on a two-day visit.
Joly expressed concern that the United States voted against a United Nations resolution earlier on Feb. 24 which condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and calls for a peaceful resolution. Washington had supported a similar resolution last year under the previous U.S. administration.
The United States submitted a separate draft resolution this year which calls for a “swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation,” but without condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump has stepped up diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, as he had pledged to do on the campaign trail, but has used methods that bypass Ukraine and European allies.
Senior U.S. and Russian officials have increased engagement recently, including a meeting last week between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia.
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“Because of the U.S. changing positions on engagement in the world, and particularly when it comes to Ukraine, it is impacting the relationship that lots of countries have with the U.S.,” Joly said.
She said that as the world becomes “much more dangerous and complicated,” some countries that are not typically allies now share an interest in “creating new coalitions.” Joly mentioned meeting with countries like South Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, “and other countries which we need to be able to have a working relationship with.”
Ties between Canada and India have been strained after Ottawa accused Indian diplomats last year of being linked to violent criminal activity in Canada. India has denied the allegations.
Joly also highlighted Canada’s interest in strengthening security ties with the UK and European allies.
“We need to be close to the UK when it comes to intelligence sharing, and that’s definitely part of the conversations—being able to have a strong security and intelligence partnership between Canada and the UK,” she said.
Canada is a net importer of intelligence, Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc told the Foreign Interference Commission early last year when he was in charge of the public safety portfolio. The United States is the largest contributor of information to the Five Eyes intelligence partnership, which also includes the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
Washington’s shift on Ukraine was explained by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth when he was in Brussels on Feb. 12 to deliver opening remarks at the 26th iteration of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
Hegseth said “stark strategic realities” prevent the United States from focusing on defending Europe and called on NATO allies to lead the region’s security. He noted that the Trump administration’s shift on Ukraine is part of a broader focus on addressing rising threats from China.
“We must, and we are, focusing on security of our own borders. We also face a peer competitor in the Communist Chinese. With the capability and intent to threaten our homeland and core national interests in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. is prioritizing deterring war with China in the Pacific,” Hegseth said.
Canada has maintained its support of Ukraine, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visiting its capital Kyiv this week to attend a summit with European leaders to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Trudeau announced additional military aid to Ukraine at the summit and did not discount the possibility of sending Canadian troops for future peacekeeping missions.
