Ottawa:
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the G7 summit in June in the western province of Alberta, a government official told AFP on Monday.
Carney, who took office last week, spoke to the Ukrainian leader over the weekend, the official said, adding: “President Zelensky has been invited to the G7 meeting in Alberta in June.”
The invitation comes amid an uncertain approach among the Group of Seven powerful democracies toward the Russia-Ukraine war since US President Donald Trump returned to office.
Prior to a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Quebec last week, the Trump administration had eschewed terminology that backed Ukraine’s fight for its “territorial integrity” and references to Russian “aggression.”
But that language was in a final statement from the foreign ministers issued at the G7 meeting Friday, in a possible sign of frustration in Washington that Russia had not immediately accepted the terms of a US-led ceasefire initiative.
Carney, who is visiting Paris and London this week, posted on social media Sunday that in their call Zelensky gave an update “on Ukraine’s defence and global efforts to advance peace.”
“Canada strongly supports Ukraine’s fight for freedom against Russian aggression,” he said.
Zelensky, in a social media post, called the conversation with Carney “good and substantive.”
He said he “thanked Canada for its assistance, particularly for the defense packages and support of our energy sector” and praised Carney for having “made the right points about how we need to step up pressure on Moscow.”
Canada, which has the G7 presidency this year, will host the summit in Kananaskis, Alberta on June 15-17.
Trump is scheduled to discuss his Ukraine ceasefire proposal in a Tuesday call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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