Pope Leo XIV: All about the first U.S. pope in history
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National Post
22 minutes ago
- National Post
Kelly McParland: Oval office slapstick brings Ukraine no closer to peace
One thing you can say about the presidency of Donald Trump is that it's seldom boring. Just this week we've had the spectacle of the U.S. president fawning over a tyrant from Russia the way a kid at a hockey game might gawk goggle-eyed at Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon, followed by a mad dash across the Atlantic as the elected heads of Europe rushed desperately to Washington in hopes of stopping Trump from unilaterally announcing any new bad ideas before they could get there to dissuade him. Article content Article content This is what it's like now to keep the world from tumbling into the sort of chaos it's spent the better part of the past century carefully working to avoid. Leaders from Germany, France, the United Kingdom and elsewhere, along with worthies from NATO and the European Union, need to be forever on their guard against the danger the current occupant of the Oval Office could go off in some mad direction and threaten the stability of the western world. Article content Article content Article content They seem to have succeeded this time, if only temporarily, before it was too late. The last time Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House he was berated by Vice President JD Vance for failing to dress in a manner appropriate to the occasion. This time he was careful to pack a dark jacket, though no tie, and things went off swimmingly. Everyone was jolly and the vice president behaved himself. Zelenskyy even offered a quip about his outfit that had everyone smiling. How long it lasts is anyone's guess. Not long, if almost 10 years of Donald Trump in Washington is anything to go by. Other than handshakes and displays of camaraderie nothing of substance came from the gathering. The after-meeting statements were a study in contradiction. Trump insisted everyone was totally excited about the improved prospects for peace; President Emmanuel Macron of France said he's not convinced Russia wants the war to end. Trump doesn't believe a ceasefire is necessary; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he can't imagine progress without one. Zelenskyy indicated he's prepared to meet Putin face-to-face, but gave no indication he's willing to surrender Ukraine territory or meet any of the other rigid conditions the Russian president demands. Article content Article content The Putin-Zelenskyy meeting is the core of Trump's vision for the next step of the process. 'I think he wants to make a deal. I think he wants to make a deal for me,' Trump burbled to Macron. He harbours a conviction — tied to his belief in himself as the world's greatest dealmaker — that if he can only get the two in the same room everything can be sorted out and the slaughter will be over. Ideally, when that happens he can start getting ready for a visit to Oslo and his acceptance of the Nobel peace prize he's been telling everyone is his due. He claims he's ended six wars in his seven months as president, almost one per month. 'I thought this maybe would be the easiest one,' he said of the Ukraine conflict. Norwegian media reported that he called Prime Minister Jonas Støre out of the blue one day in July to press his claim to the prize. Article content Article content While Trump fixates on arranging a second summit and winning his prize, what the Europeans want is a firm pledge of security guarantees for Ukraine against any further Russian aggression. No one knows precisely what that means, but proposals suggest some kind of international military force that would convince the Kremlin the price of another attack would be too high to contemplate. That's what NATO's Article 5 already represents: a pledge that an attack on one is treated as an attack on all. Ukraine isn't a member of NATO and Putin insists it can never be; so what Europe wants is a non-NATO pledge that has the same effect as NATO.
Globe and Mail
22 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Morning Update: The high-stakes negotiations at home and away
Good morning. Resolution inches forward after days of gridlock in airports and years of stalemate in war zones – more on that below, along with Quebec's use of AI to get traffic moving and the chances for a Bank of Canada rate cut. But first: Air Canada planes lifted off last night for the first time in more than three days, after a bitter dispute between the carrier and its 10,000 flight attendants kept half a million passengers on the ground. Meanwhile, across the world, European and Arab mediators pushed for a breakthrough in two intractable, years-long wars: between Russia and Ukraine, and between Israel and Hamas. Potential truces seem marginally closer than they did last week. But how likely are each of these deals, and what exactly will happen next? Let's take a closer look. The conflict: Air Canada and its flight attendants The latest: The airline reached a tentative deal yesterday morning with the union that represents its flight attendants, though the agreement must still be approved by a majority vote. The contract would provide hourly raises of about 25 per cent over four years, and compensate Air Canada flight attendants for all the work they perform during boarding, deplaning and delays, which previously went unpaid. Ground-work pay would start at 50 per cent of their hourly rate in the first year and rise to 70 per cent by the fourth. The likelihood of a deal: Sky-high! Hugh Pouliot, a spokesman for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said that the flight attendants 'will have the best ground duty provisions in North America by a long shot' – plus, they've already gone back to work. Air Canada's chief operating officer, Mark Nasr, told The Globe that more than 100 flights restarted yesterday, though a full return to normal operations (700 flights a day) will take at least another week. Most of Air Canada's fleet returned to domestic airports before Saturday's strike and must undergo engine and safety checks before flying again. What's next: Several thousand passengers remain stranded abroad or stuck in travel limbo, and Air Canada needs to get them on their way. Still, public support for flight attendants remains high – part of the reason that CUPE was able to defy a federal back-to-work order and stay out on the picket line until it bagged a better deal. That was a calculated risk, labour experts told The Globe, and its success is sure to inspire other unions in future negotiations. The conflict: Russia and Ukraine The latest: After a mini-NATO delegation descended on Washington this week to smooth the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, attention has turned to the security guarantees that might be offered to Ukraine. To deter Russian attacks under a peace deal, European leaders keep pitching a 'reassurance force' that looks a lot like NATO's collective defence pledge – and yesterday, the White House said it could be backed by U.S. air support. (American boots on the ground are off the table.) NATO's military chiefs will hold a video meeting later today to discuss options for Ukraine. The likelihood of a deal: For all of Monday's White House pleasantries, the delegation didn't leave with a clear road map for peace. The sticking points in this three-year war remain: Russian President Vladimir Putin wants territory concessions, which Kyiv has rejected; Zelensky wants Western peacekeepers on its soil, which Moscow maintains is a red line. A hot mic did catch Trump telling French President Emmanuel Macron that he thought 'Putin wants to make a deal for me, as crazy as that sounds.' But on Fox & Friends yesterday, Trump seemed to reconsider, saying 'it's possible he doesn't want to make a deal.' What's next: Probably not a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, which Trump now insists isn't necessary either for a longer-term peace deal or as a condition for further talks. But he said Putin has agreed to a face-to-face discussion with Zelensky in the coming weeks. The meeting might be in Budapest, it might be in Geneva, or it might not happen at all – the Kremlin played down its possibility yesterday. The conflict: Israel and Hamas The latest: Hamas has accepted a new proposal from Qatar and Egypt for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. Under its terms, Hamas would release 10 hostages and 18 bodies in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, Israeli troops would partially withdraw from the 75 per cent of Gaza they control, and more humanitarian aid would enter the enclave. There were also reports yesterday that Cairo is putting pressure on Hamas to disarm and place its weapons in Egyptian custody. The likelihood of a deal: The terms of this ceasefire proposal are nearly identical to a plan put forward by U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and accepted by Israel in late May. But 'things have changed now,' a spokesperson for the Israeli government said yesterday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 'has laid out a plan for the future of Gaza,' which includes a large-scale military offensive to capture Gaza City, forcibly displacing one million Palestinians. He's also demanding the release of all 20 living hostages at once. What's next: Netanyahu has so far shrugged off international calls to end the war and improve the horrific humanitarian situation in Gaza, but he is facing mounting pressure at home. On Sunday, more than 400,000 people turned out across Israel to demand a ceasefire, in one of the largest and fiercest protests in the past 22 months. Yesterday, the UN warned that the trickle of supplies Israel lets into the strip is 'far below what is required to avert widespread starvation' and that almost half of all aid workers killed last year were in Gaza. Israel said it is weighing the new ceasefire proposal and will respond to Arab mediators by Friday. Catalonia's roving goats may not have a fixed address, but that's allowed them to trample across the countryside, nibbling on the dry shrubs, clearing the undergrowth – and helping keep wildfires at bay. Read more here about these voracious fire fighters. At home: Quebec City has started synchronizing its traffic lights with the use of Google's AI, in a bid to reduce congestion and lower carbon emissions from idling cars. Abroad: Hundreds of additional National Guard troops from half a dozen Republican states are now headed to Washington, where violent crime rates are at a 30-year low. Views: Yesterday's inflation report has left economists thinking that a Bank of Canada rate cut is more likely to happen next month. Booze: The Beer Store will close more than a dozen locations across the province by the middle of October. Phew: An MRI ruled out hamstring damage for the Blue Jays' first baseman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
Anand says Trump talks could be opportunity for allies to enact Ukraine security plan
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, left, and Finnish Foreign Affairs Minister Elina Valtonen address the media at a press conference after a meeting with foreign ministers from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland at the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia in Espoo, Finland Monday, Aug. 19, 2025. (Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva via AP) OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Trump's talks with Russia and Ukraine could provide the opening for Ottawa and its peers to put plans into action to secure Kyiv's future. Anand says Canada and its peers have been talking about 'stable security guarantees' for Ukraine for more than two years. She says Canada and 30 other countries are in active talks about identifying structure and obligations for how they can help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty. Prime Minister Mark Carney took part in a virtual call this morning with the Coalition of the Willing, a group of nations who have offered to help fund or staff a peacekeeping force on Ukrainian territory. That call came one day after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House, a few days after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt says Trump will not have American soldiers on the ground, but says the U.S. is open to co-ordinating security for Ukraine and might provide air support. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
