Sunday March 2, 2025 | NATIONAL NEWS (from VICTORIA, BC) | Posted at 6:44 am PT | Updated 12 noon PT
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in London, England this weekend to attend the Securing the Future Summit on Sunday, March 2.
Trudeau received a last-minute invitation to what was originally only for European leaders. Trudeau will be part of the ‘family photo’ (i.e. the world leaders who attend the summit).
Trudeau’s presence at today’s meeting is clearly a sign that Canada (a long time member of the NATO alliance) is being included in the European loop. He is the only non-European leader at the meeting.
Canada may end up sending peacekeeping troops to Europe.
It was confirmed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today that he will meet with King Charles III tomorrow, March 3.
Canada supports Ukraine:
Trudeau will meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today in London.
“We’re going to continue to be there to support Ukraine as necessary with whatever it takes for as long as it takes,” said Trudeau in a media availability in London today.
“Because Ukraine is not just defending its own territory, it’s defending the very principles and values that underpin all of our democracies,” said Trudeau.
“So as we look at what’s going to be necessary in the coming years, i can assure you that Canada and Canadians will be there,” said Trudeau, whose last day in office is coming up on March 9.
The leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, has pledged his support for Ukraine. In Ottawa he told media today that his party stands for Ukraine. “We support Ukraine and its right to defend itself and to be independent. The aggressor in this conflict is Russia. Russia carried out an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, an invasion it has been mercilessly prosecuting for the last three years.”
“All democracies need to stand with Ukrainians and their right to defend themselves and reclaim their territory,” said Poilievre today.
The sovereignty threat:
There’s no word so far that Trudeau will meet with King Charles who is officially the head of Canada; threats by the USA to Canada’s sovereignty have so far gone unaddressed by the monarch (such a statement evidently needs to be invited by Canada’s prime minister).
Trudeau is Canada’s prime minister up to March 9, after which the new Liberal Party Leader will be Canada’s prime minister.
Ever since his visit to Trump’s estate at the end of November 2024, Trudeau has been taunted by Trump as being the ‘governor of the 51st state’. This threat to sovereignty of a nation has been a wake-up call for other countries as well (e.g. Greenland and Panama, and now Ukraine) where Trump wants economic control if not more.
Zelenskyy in London:
Zelenskyy was given a warm welcome from people on the streets of London yesterday, gathered along roadsides with signs of support and Ukrainian flags.
It was obviously intended as a supportive response following how Zelenskyy was treated with disrespect by US President Trump on Friday in Washington, DC.
Today Zelenskyy met with King Charles III following the summit of European leaders. The meeting was held at the Royal Sandringham Estate in eastern England. Official audiences take place on the advice of the government. Charles previously hosted Zelenskyy in February 2023.
The Washington meetings:
After meetings held by President Trump through last week with France’s president Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s prime minister Starmer, and then Zelenskyy, it appears Europe is seeing an escalated need to support Ukraine possibly entirely without US military or political support.
Neither Macron nor Starmer would weigh in on the 51st-state drama during their press conferences with Trump in Washington this past week, but their meetings with Trump were otherwise friendly.
However, by contrast, Zelenskyy was sent packing without a security agreement after a highly intense televised interaction in the Oval Office.
It’s quite possible that Trump’s verbal attack on Zelenskyy was intentional because Trump feels his key political supporters and voter base don’t really want to continue funding Ukraine. And given his political agenda, he needed to still appear to Russian President Putin that he is on Russia’s side.
Trump wants to have a controlled source of rare earth minerals that area apparently abundant in Ukraine. Similarly, Trump wants economic dominance in Canada where he also sees access to important components like critical minerals, oil and gas.
These developments clearly contributed to the hastily called European leaders security summit.
UK loan to Ukraine:
On March 1, Zelenskyy met with British Premier Keir Starmer for what is reported as a positive, supportive meeting.
During that meeting, UK’s finance minister was on hand to sign a loan document with Zelenskyy. The amount is £2.26B (approximately $4B Canadian) to be used for military supplies in the event that the US does not continue their military support.
Ukraine will pay the loan back using the profits from frozen Russian assets.
“We are at a crossroads in history today,” said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “Together with others, US must do the heavy lifting.”
===== RELATED:
- Trudeau in London for European ‘Securing the Future’ summit (March 1, 2025)
- Trump & Vance dress down Zelenskyy in the Oval Office (February 28, 2025)
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