OTTAWA - Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Jennie Carignan, participated in a virtual meeting with military leaders from 32 NATO countries on Wednesday. The discussion focused on strategies for maintaining peace in Ukraine if a ceasefire is established.

Military spokesman Kened Sadiku stated, "We welcome the willingness of the U.S. to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, which are essential to a durable peace agreement and support broader efforts to provide support to Ukraine."

U.S. President Donald Trump is currently attempting to negotiate a peace deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, analysts express concern that any agreement might inadvertently reward Russia for its invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. Ukraine has emphasized the need for security guarantees from other nations to prevent further Russian aggression. In contrast, Moscow insists that Ukraine should be excluded from NATO and the European Union.

Trump has made controversial claims, suggesting that Ukraine instigated the conflict, and has stated that the U.S. will not deploy troops to Ukraine but may offer air support to help maintain peace.

Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone described the video conference as a "candid discussion" that demonstrated "tangible" unity among the allies. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the talks, arguing that any security arrangements for Ukraine should involve Moscow.

The meeting followed discussions led by Prime Minister Mark Carney with NATO leaders, as well as representatives from Japan and Australia, regarding support for peace in Ukraine. These nations are part of the Coalition of the Willing, which aims to assist in funding or staffing a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

Marcus Kolga, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, noted that the NATO discussions likely revolved around coordination efforts in the event of a ceasefire, including logistics for delivering U.S. weapons to Ukraine. Kolga remarked that while a peace agreement seems "extremely unlikely," allies are preparing plans for deploying Western peacekeepers to uphold any guarantees made.

He added that Canada would likely play a logistical role in establishing a mission in Ukraine. Kolga suggested that Canada could potentially reassign troops currently stationed in Latvia as part of a NATO mission aimed at deterring Russian aggression in the Baltic region. "Shifting some of those troops to Ukraine, logistically probably wouldn’t be that challenging, if it’s just soldiers," he said. "It will really be an international effort. It won’t be one country, I don’t think, providing too much more support than any others."

Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, highlighted the ongoing threat posed by Russia, referencing recent airstrikes on Ukraine. He stated, "Russia is still at war with Ukraine. We all need to do more to help Ukrainians fight back. It is strength on the ground and in the air that will lead to an end to the war. We have to push back hard. The Russian leadership don’t want peace. They want Ukraine, and all of it. Ignoring that fact will be a fatal mistake."