Canada’s exclusion from last week’s White House meeting of NATO members and the Ukrainian president was likely behind the prime minister’s surprise visit to Kyiv this week.

That’s according to defence policy expert and Macdonald-Laurier Institute senior fellow Joe Varner, who said Canada’s diminishing profile in global affairs is likely why Prime Minister Mark Carney chose to visit Ukraine on Monday.

“The government was struck by the fact they weren’t invited to Washington,” said Varner, who previously served as policy director for former defence minister Peter MacKay.

“I think that, in part, drives the prime minister’s trip to Ukraine.”

Monday was Carney’s first official visit to Ukraine, kicking off a nearly week-long European trip where defence weighed heavily.

“We can certainly

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