G7 summit could be a defining moment for Canada: former foreign affairs minister

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Montreal, on Wednesday, Feb.19, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi) (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prepares to chair a virtual G7 meeting on Monday and participate in a peace summit in Ukraine on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion, former federal foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy told CTV News that this could be a defining moment for Canadian diplomacy.

“The Canadian government has already set out a pretty ambitious agenda in Ukraine, on climate change, and on gender relationships,” Axworthy said. “All of these things are being confronted by the U.S.”

What remains to be seen, Axworthy added, is whether Trudeau and the Canadian government can use the G7 meeting to build closer relations with Europe, Japan, and other nations.

“We have to find a way of providing a containment of this American, Russian, Chinese view that the world only belongs to the big powers,” he said.

Traditionally, G7 meetings focus on the economy, trade, and transnational crime. However, Monday’s summit will center on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Peter MacKay, told CTV News on Sunday.

The peace summit also comes in the wake of U.S. and Russian attempts to negotiate a peace deal—without Ukraine.

‘Never forget how this war began’

“But we should never forget how this war began,” MacKay said. “It was a Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014, followed by a full-scale invasion as we approach the third-year anniversary.”

MacKay described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s offer to step down to achieve peace and NATO membership as “extraordinary.”

Canada has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine’s NATO bid. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said on Feb. 18 that Canada intends to play a role in protecting Ukraine when the war ends, though Ottawa has not yet specified what that role might entail.

According to MacKay, a key issue involves the signing over of critical minerals in exchange for continued support from the U.S., along with the suggestion that some of the US$50 billion in aid may be returned.

“You have millions of people displaced, hundreds of thousands more killed or injured,” MacKay said. “So, they’re really not in a position to be making that kind of payback to the U.S., but all of these negotiations have been happening behind the scenes.”

Trudeau and several European leaders have stressed the importance of ensuring Ukraine is part of any peace talks.

Meanwhile, Axworthy believes Zelenskyy stepping down as President would only encourage Russia to continue its “mass invasion.”

Earlier on Sunday, Zelenskyy said that Russia had launched 267 drones into Ukraine during an overnight attack, the largest such strike of the war. The Ukrainian air force claimed to have shot down 138 drones across 13 regions of Ukraine, while 119 more were lost on their way to their targets.

“They’re using the third anniversary to mount an extra-special drone attack,” Axworthy said. “That is not a country looking for peace. I think he’s (Putin) out to continue his ambition of taking over Ukraine.”

With files from The Associated Press