Allow me to begin with an apology. On BBC World Television on election eve in April, I compared your charisma to that of “an icicle in the dead of a Canadian winter.” I trust you’ve forgiven me. After all, icicles can be sharp, enduring, and—when touched by sunlight—remarkably dazzling.
Your debut visit to Kyiv on Sunday, coinciding with the 34th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, showed many Ukrainians that you may, in fact, be all of the above.
Your ability to keep Canada steady through the whiplash diplomacy of Donald Trump has not gone unnoticed. From punishing tariffs, to loose talk about annexing Canada, Trump has treated our country like a bargaining chip at best. Given the chance, he’d probably sell Canada to one of his buddies for pennies on the dollar.
Yet, as I’ve told audiences on CNN and the BBC, President Volodymyr Zelensky would do well to study how you, representing America’s oldest and closest ally, deal with the contortionist-in-chief – a man who changes his mind by the minute.
Still, if I am to be candid, I have often been critical of Canada’s support for Ukraine.
Under your predecessor Justin Trudeau, Ottawa seemed to believe that sanctions alone would tame Vladimir Putin. They did not. Russia, with the eager assistance of Iran, North Korea, and China, has grown adept at sanction-proofing its war machine.
Most Western leaders, included Trudeau, wasted crucial months to develop the stamina to give Ukraine what it had been begging for – powerful offensive weapons to strike at the Russian war machine – since February 2022. The result: Ukrainians are still dying by the hundreds each day, with no end in sight.
And that brings me to your visit here. To be frank, many Ukrainians are weary of foreign leaders riding the rails for the photo ops – laying wreaths, strolling Kyiv’s cobblestoned streets, posing with President Zelensky, who’s been lionized by the foreign media – before heading out again.
This war has created fatigue not just at the front lines, but also in the hearts of ordinary people who wonder if the West’s commitment goes beyond symbolism.
With all due respect, Mr. Carney, your time might have been better spent in Washington, persuading Mr. Trump not only to stop battering Canada with threats but also to stop undermining Ukraine’s very survival.
Because make no mistake: survival is what’s at stake. In recent weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon has been blocking Ukraine from firing long-range missiles into Russia, while the Associated Press claimed that Mr. Trump is halting deliveries of Patriot systems and other critical air defenses.
This isn’t just bad policy – it’s a death sentence for Odesa’s World Port, a critical artery in the global food supply chain and from where I have penned this letter.
You arrived bearing what Canadian media described as “new” support. In reality, the billion dollars in drones, armored personnel carriers, ammunition, and cash was recycled from Canada’s earlier G7 pledge of $2 billion. Important, yes – but not fresh.
And I suspect, too, that much of this spending will be chalked up as Canada’s contribution to NATO’s 5% GDP defense commitment. The definition of “defense spending” is, shall we say, conveniently elastic. Italy, after all, counted a €13.5-billion bridge to Sicily as part of its NATO contribution.
Your statement that you would not rule out sending Canadian troops to a post-war Ukraine was duly noted.
For now, Canada’s military presence remains symbolic, though not insignificant: through Operation Unifier, 45,000 Ukrainian soldiers have received Canadian training, first on Ukrainian soil, now in Poland. It’s a reminder of the long history of Canada-Ukraine military cooperation.
But Ukrainians cannot wait for “post-war” pledges from the Coalition of the Willing, of which Canada is a member. They need help now.
On the eve of your arrival, Canadian officials briefed journalists that Russia is making “slow progress” in its campaign to retake Ukrainian land, while Canadian intelligence estimates Ukraine is losing 500 soldiers daily.
Five hundred! On the 34th anniversary of independence, that number is a sobering reminder of the immense cost of freedom.
Mr. Prime Minister, if I could leave you with one request, it would be this: Do not let Ukraine become a pawn in Washington’s transactional games or in NATO’s creative accounting. Do not let your debut visit be remembered only as another photo op. Canadians know what it means to defend sovereignty under pressure. Ukrainians are living it, minute by minute.
I teased you once for being icicle-like. Today, Ukrainians could use a Canadian leader who is unbending, sharp, and dazzlingly clear.
Be that icicle, Mr. Carney – not just in Kyiv’s Independence Square, but in the halls of Washington where Ukraine’s fate is now being bartered.
Respectfully,
Michael Bociurkiw (a proud Canadian citizen),
Odesa, Ukraine
The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.