PM Mark Carney invited to join European leaders summit in Armenia

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Prime Minister Mark Carney has been invited to join European leaders meeting in Armenia next week, officials said Tuesday, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies have pushed Ottawa and the continent closer.

Antonio Costa, president of the European Council which represents EU member states, said he invited Carney to “participate as a guest” at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan.

“It is the first time a non-European country takes part” in the gathering of some 40 leaders from across Europe, Costa wrote on social media.

“Europe and Canada are more than just like-minded partners -- together we are building a global alliance to defend peace, shared prosperity and multilateralism.”

Identifying a “rupture” in the U.S.-led system of global governance, Carney said at the glitzy World Economic Forum in Switzerland that middle powers needed to chart a new path and rally together to defend key international values.

With Europe and Canada’s relationship shifting with the United States under Trump, they have increasingly moved closer to each other in many areas.

Ottawa has formally joined the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme -- making Canada the only non-European member of the bloc’s defence financing scheme.