▲ Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
As Canada has recently drifted apart from the United States and pursued closer ties with the European Union (EU), it is now seeking to join a 90 billion euro (approx. 140 trillion won) loan support package for Ukraine.
Citing sources, the British daily Financial Times (FT) reported on the 13th (local time) that Canada is in negotiations with the EU to agree on its contribution scale to the Ukraine loan support ahead of the EU summit to be held in Montreal next month.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the 16th, followed by a meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Prime Minister Carney has been taking steps to build alliances to safeguard the multilateral order thrown into turmoil by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Participation in the EU-led loan support for Ukraine is also interpreted as a measure to demonstrate his commitment to solidarity with the EU.
Currently, the United Kingdom is the only non-EU member state participating in the Ukraine loan support.
Canada has already provided military assistance to Ukraine since the outbreak of the war, and on the 10th, it agreed to a support package to secure air defense interceptor missiles.
According to the FT, Canada hopes to cooperate with the EU not only in supporting Ukraine but also in other areas to respond to trade frictions with the United States.
Both sides have already agreed to pursue cooperation in six areas: trade, security and regulation, critical minerals, energy and clean technology, visa liberalization, and the financial system.
Mark Camilleri, head of the Canada-EU Trade and Investment Association, argued that the outline of what a "trusted partner" means in the context of economic security is taking shape, adding, "If Canada and the EU get this right, it could become a model that applies to other friendly nations such as the UK, Norway, Japan, and Australia as well."
Prime Minister Carney is also reported to have proposed an "associate member" model to further strengthen relations with the EU.
However, within the EU, there is a cautious stance on introducing a separate new status, taking into account existing relations with other European countries such as the UK and Norway that cooperate without joining the EU.
The EU believes it is difficult to offer a level of relationship comparable to that of Norway or Switzerland, which secured access to the single market while contributing to the EU budget.
Among the 27 EU member states, about 10 countries have still not ratified the trade agreement with Canada, which has been provisionally implemented since 2017, due to concerns over potential damage to farmers.
The FT pointed out that the U.S. still accounts for an overwhelming share of Canada's trading partners, and that strengthening ties with the EU has its limitations.
An EU official said, "We need to take a realistic and pragmatic approach and properly manage Canada's expectations."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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