Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday he backed Ukraine's calls for robust security guarantees as part of any peace deal, saying Canada would not rule out sending troops under such a framework.

Carney was in Kyiv as a guest of Zelenskyy to participate in Ukraine’s Independence Day. In a speech at a ceremony marking the holiday, Carney said in French that Ukraine is at a critical moment of the war, and that the support of the international community must intensify.

Canada is not excluding the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine in the event it reaches a ceasefire with Russia, a senior Canadian government official said ahead of Independence Day celebrations in Kyiv where Prime Minister Mark Carney was to be recognized as the guest of honour on Sunday.