Canada pledges $4.3B in support for Ukraine at G7
Prime Minister Mark Carney outlined $4.3 billion in new support for Ukraine's defence as he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Alberta. (June 17, 2025)
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Hamilton Spectator
20 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
G7 summit ends without joint communiqué, but Canada, India reach diplomatic truce
KANANASKIS - Canada failed to rally the U.S. to voice the same support for Ukraine as European and Japanese allies, but ended the G7 summit in Alberta on Tuesday with an agreement with India to restore top diplomats in both countries. The G7 summit came to a close after the group's leaders issued a series of joint statements on key priorities. As expected, the leaders did not issue a joint communiqué, the lengthy statement outlining shared views that typically ends G7 summits. Instead, there were several statements on individual issues ranging from transnational repression and migrant smuggling to AI and quantum technology. There was no joint statement on the war in Ukraine, even though Prime Minister Mark Carney had made support for the country one of the summit's key discussion topics on Tuesday, inviting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the event in person. A senior Canadian government official — who briefed reporters at the G7 on background — said the U.S. was offside with the other countries on Ukraine and sought weaker language than what the other members proposed. Canada planned to use the language the other countries agreed to in its closing chair's statement. Ottawa did not want to release a weak statement, the official said. The official said that it was challenging to get the U.S. to agree on a statement on Ukraine in part because Washington is trying to negotiate a ceasefire or peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Carney outlined $4.3 billion in new Canadian support for Ukraine's defence and another set of sanctions on Russia as he met with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit on Tuesday morning. That sum includes $2 billion for the purchase and donation of weapons and matériel, along with a $2.3-billion loan to help the embattled country rebuild its infrastructure, to be repaid by interest on frozen Russian assets. French President Emmanuel Macron said Carney fulfilled his mission as G7 host by preserving the unity of the multilateral organization. 'We shouldn't ask the Canadian presidency to resolve every issue on earth today. That would be unfair. But he held the group together,' said Macron, who will host the G7 next year. The G7 leaders note they are 'deeply concerned by growing reports of transnational repression,' defined in the statement as an aggressive form of foreign interference which sees states or their proxies try to intimidate, harass, harm or coerce people outside their borders. The statement condemns all forms of transnational repression, which can include activities ranging from cyber-surveillance to assassination. It says a G7 initiative led by Canada that tracks online misinformation and threats to democracy, the Rapid Response Mechanism, will have its public reports include updates on transnational repression, and that the group will co-ordinate ways to counter those threats. The statement was published just before Carney met with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, whose government has been singled out by Canadian intelligence officials as a prolific perpetrator of foreign interference in Canada, including transnational repression. As their bilateral meeting began Tuesday, Carney said it was 'a great honour' to host Prime Minister Modi at the G7. 'It's a testament to the importance of your country, to your leadership, and to the importance of the issues that we look to tackle together,' Carney said, noting those issues include the energy transition, the future of AI and the fight against transnational repression and terrorism. Speaking through a translator, Modi said attending the G7 summit offers a great opportunity to serve the world. 'I believe that India-Canada relations are extremely important, and India and Canada should work together,' Modi said, noting that the two countries share democratic values. Following their meeting, Carney's office said the two leaders agreed to designate new high commissioners and restore regular diplomatic services to citizens in both countries. In 2023 and 2024, former prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP said there was evidence linking agents of the Indian government to the murder of Canadian Sikh separatist activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023. Last October, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the Mounties had evidence linking Indian government officials to other crimes in Canada, including extortion, coercion and homicide. Later that month, Canada announced it had expelled six Indian diplomats who refused to waive their diplomatic immunity in order to participate in the RCMP investigation — including the high commissioner. India expelled the acting Canadian high commissioner in New Delhi and five other Canadian diplomats in response, and the posts have remained vacant since then. Carney's decision to invite Modi to the G7 drew criticism from some Sikh organizations in Canada. The G7 leaders also signed on to a statement pledging to tackle migrant smuggling, including by exploring the potential use of sanctions to target criminals involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking operations. Another statement pledged to explore ways to benefit public services using artificial intelligence, including a Canadian initiative to 'increase government efficiency' at a time when Ottawa and most G7 peers seek to cut back spending on their civil service. A wider group of signatories, which includes Australia, India and South Korea, is committing to working together to invest in responsible critical minerals projects. Australia, India, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa also signed on with the G7 to a wildfire charter that calls for co-operation to prevent, fight and recover from devastating fires. The G7 leaders did release a statement Monday evening calling for a de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East in response to continued fighting between Israel and Iran. That came shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump announced he planned to leave the summit a day early to deal with the ongoing crisis. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained in Kananaskis on Tuesday as the American delegation's lead. — With files from Emilie Bergeron in Kananaskis and Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2025. Note to readers:This is a corrected story. A previous version said that the G7 leaders could reach agreement on a statement about the ongoing war in Ukraine. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Bloomberg
33 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
G-7 Confronts New Reality After Trump Spoils Hopes for Unity
On Sunday evening, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney took to a comfy sofa to chew the fat over glasses of wine with European Group of Seven leaders at their hotel bar in Kananaskis, the Rocky Mountain resort hosting this year's summit. The unplanned gathering started when UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer bumped into German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with Carney, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron joining. The topics were meaty — including a discussion of escalating tensions in the Middle East. But the atmosphere was relaxed, with one G-7 official describing it as a drink among friends. US President Donald Trump had yet to arrive.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Trump Calls for Iran's ‘Unconditional Surrender' and Threatens Its Supreme Leader
President Trump declared on Tuesday that 'we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran' and called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender' amid mounting evidence that the United States was considering joining Israel's bombing campaign against the country. Mr. Trump made his statements on his social media site before he met with his national security team for a little more than an hour on Tuesday afternoon. But even before they met, there were signs that the Pentagon, anticipating that orders for a strike might be forthcoming, sent about three dozen refueling aircraft to Europe that could be used to assist fighter jets protecting American bases and personnel in the Middle East. The aircraft would also be capable of refueling B-2 bombers flown out of the United States on their way to targets in Iran, presumably starting with Fordo, the under-the-mountain nuclear enrichment center that Iran built around 15 years ago to withstand the heaviest strikes. Mr. Trump's increasingly martial tone — a sharp reversal from his announced confidence two weeks ago that a nuclear deal with Iran was easily within reach — came only hours after he cut short his attendance at the Group of 7 summit in Alberta, Canada, saying he needed to return to Washington to deal with the situation in the Middle East. His immediate decision is whether to deploy America's largest conventional weapon — the 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator — to attack Fordo, Iran's deepest nuclear enrichment site. While Mr. Trump suggested that the United States had control of Iran's skies, the only visible combatant has been Israel, which has been using American-made fighter jets. Israeli officials have said that they have been able to destroy much of Iran's air defenses. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
