Far-left Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised the Ukrainian government $5 billion taken from seized Russian assets and several other forms of aid during a visit to Kyiv on Monday marking the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of that country.
The visit was preceded by a phone conversation between Trudeau and American President Donald Trump, who has prioritized brokering an end to the war with Russia directly. Notably, readouts and reports on the contents of that call published this weekend indicated that the topic of conversation was primarily Ukraine, rather than the Canada-U.S. relationship.
Under Trudeau, Canada has seen the eruption of multiple domestic crises – including housing shortages, increased drug crime, a healthcare system that has normalized killing patients, and an out-of-control immigration system – that Trump has identified as a threat to America, and responded with a looming threat of 25-percent tariffs on all Canadian goods. Trump has postponed the initial 25-percent tariff threat to give time for Canada – and Mexico, which is also facing the same potential tariffs – to address illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking on their borders with America. Trump recalled in a speech on Saturday that he imposed a ten-percent tariff on Canada, however, and another 25-percent tariff on aluminum and steel imports, which disproportionately affect Canada.
Trudeau’s poor handling of the tariff threat last year resulted in the resignation of his longtime confidante, former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, which precipitated his announcement that he himself would step down from the prime minister position. Freeland was among the first to announce a candidacy to lead Trudeau’s Liberal Party after he confirmed he would resign, positioning her to compete for the prime ministership.
As part of his resignation announcement, Trudeau also used a procedural move called “prorogation” to paralyze the Canadian Parliament, keeping it out of session through March 24 to allow his Liberals to elect a replacement. Without a parliament, Canada is significantly limited in the measures it can take to address Trump’s concerns and prevent the tariffs.
This political disaster, according to reports on his conversation with Trump, was a secondary concern to Ukraine in Trudeau’s conversation on Saturday.
“The Prime Minister and the President of the United States spoke today about the war in Ukraine, ahead of Monday’s virtual G7 meeting,” Trudeau’s office said in a readout. “The Prime Minister also updated the President about shared progress at the Canada-U.S. border combatting fentanyl, including the work of Canada’s new Fentanyl Czar and Canada’s listing of cartels. The Prime Minister noted seizures of fentanyl at the border have decreased.”
The White House said in its readout that Trudeau and Trump agreed on their “desire to see an end to” the Russian invasion of Ukraine and claimed that Trudeau praised Trump as “the only world leader who can push through a just and lasting peace.”
An anonymous source apparently on the Canadian side told the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail on Sunday that the two leaders spoke for 20 minutes and held a conversation that was “constructive and cordial and largely focused on Mr. Trump’s effort to end the war with Russia.” The source claimed that Trudeau enthusiastically advocated for Ukrainian interests, telling Trump that “any peace deal should not be seen by Russian President Vladimir Putin as appeasement … because that would open the door for future land grabs in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe.”
The Globe and Mail did mention the tariff threats, but said Trudeau essentially mentioned “recent Canadian border measures” as evidence that he had been responsive to the concerns that led Trump to threaten 25-percent tariffs.
Following his conversation with Trudeau on Saturday, Trump told an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, DC, that he was still not “happy” with Canada’s anti-crime policies.
“Weeks ago, I imposed a ten percent tariff on all goods coming from China because of the fact that they’re sending fentanyl into our country through Mexico, by the way,” Trump recalled. “I’m not happy with Mexico or I’m not happy with Canada either. I imposed twenty-five percent tariffs on all foreign steel and aluminum, and I will soon impose reciprocal tariffs on any country that charges us.”
Trump paused the 25-percent tariffs for a month in mid-February to give Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum time to implement policies to curtail fentanyl and human trafficking on their borders. Trudeau has taken some limited executive action in response, but does not have a Parliament to engage in substantive legislative efforts to secure both his country and America.
While the full tariffs are not in vigor, Canadians have reported significant impacts on businesses as the uncertainty of whether prices of imported American goods will skyrocket disrupts the market. Businesses are seeing orders canceled and the value of the Canadian dollar has reportedly fallen. Locals have expressed concern that the cost of living will skyrocket as Canadians shift to buying domestic goods.
Trudeau has publicly prioritized support for Ukraine throughout the week on his social media accounts, repeatedly publishing statements vowing continued support for Kyiv.
Trudeau participated in a summit in Kyiv on Monday to mark the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, which followed nearly a decade of Russian aggression and colonization through separatist proxy forces.
“We cannot return to an era where might makes right,” Trudeau said in remarks in Kyiv on Monday. “We must do everything in our power to enable Ukraine to secure a just and lasting peace, a peace that cannot be achieved without Ukrainians at the table.”
Trudeau announced the $5 billion to Ukraine taken from Russian assets as well as a donation of 25 light armored vehicles, according to Canada’s National Post.