A blunt warning prepared for Miami
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday he would keep any conversation with Vladimir Putin brief if the Russian leader attends the G20 summit in Miami later this year. Asked at an unrelated news conference what he might discuss, Carney said his message would be simple: leave Ukraine, return all its territory, and end a war that kills more than 30,000 Russians every month. He added he would leave it at that.[S1]
The United States is organizing the yearly summit, and President Donald Trump has expressed a desire for Putin to participate. Earlier in the year, the Kremlin suggested that Putin might accept the offer. Carney acknowledged that there are legitimate reasons to exclude Putin, but emphasized that the host country has the authority to determine the guest list.[S1]
Context and echoes of 2014
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Putin has skipped all G20 summits. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for him. Carney's stance is reminiscent of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper's reported 2014 interaction with Putin, where Harper told him to leave Ukraine following the Crimea annexation.[S1]
Earlier this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent convened G20 finance ministers in Asheville, North Carolina, with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov in attendance. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne noted that Siluanov's presence caused unease among participants, but Canada's unwavering support for Ukraine was clearly communicated.[S1]
Diplomatic moves and cautious optimism
According to sources cited by Radio-Canada, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to visit Canada next week. His previous visit occurred in December, when he met with Carney in Halifax before heading to the U.S. for discussions with Trump about ending the war. Over the past week, Russia has conducted numerous drone attacks on Kyiv.[S1]
Despite the ongoing conflict, both sides offered rare optimistic remarks on Thursday. Putin mentioned that several nations, including the U.S. and China, were willing to back a peace agreement, but stressed that Russia and Ukraine must resolve the issue themselves. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha expressed belief in a new momentum for peace efforts with active political and diplomatic involvement, without providing specifics.[S1]
