Prime Minister Mark Carney used a high-stakes bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France to announce a sweeping new round of sanctions against Russia, as world leaders gathered to confront the ongoing war in Ukraine now well into its fourth year.
The newly unveiled package takes aim at 162 individuals, entities, and vessels all identified as components of what Ottawa described as Russia’s war machine. The announcement signals Canada’s intent to keep economic pressure squarely on Moscow as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain stalled.
“We’re working more closely on production of drones together and we’ll discuss the next stage of that,” Carney told reporters following the session.
Zelenskyy, who has spent recent weeks crisscrossing allied capitals in search of stronger commitments, struck a cautiously optimistic tone after the meeting.
“Our partners supported our messages, what we really need energy package, we need, air defence, more patriot missiles,” he said. “Russia is not winning, and we have to push Putin to end this war.”
The Prime Minister’s Office issued a readout confirming that Carney also took the opportunity to strongly condemn Russia’s latest aerial assault on Kyiv including a strike on the historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a UNESCO-listed Orthodox Christian site. The attack drew widespread international condemnation ahead of the summit.
Tuesday’s announcement builds on an already substantial Canadian commitment to Ukraine. Since the beginning of 2026 alone, Ottawa has funneled $2.8 billion in military assistance to Kyiv, slapped sanctions on more than 3,400 individuals and entities, and blacklisted over 600 Russian vessels.
Last month, Carney announced an additional $270 million contribution aimed at securing critical military capabilities for Ukraine’s defence, during a separate appearance at the European Political Community summit in Armenia a gathering focused on strategic cooperation across politics, security, and infrastructure.
Beyond military aid, Canada has signalled ambitions to play a larger role in Ukraine’s eventual reconstruction. The Prime Minister’s Office noted Carney underscored opportunities to deploy Canadian expertise in energy, infrastructure, and clean technology as part of long-term rebuilding efforts, while also emphasizing the importance of continued institutional reform to strengthen Ukraine’s resilience from within.
The meeting with Zelenskyy is just one stop in a packed diplomatic schedule. Carney is set to hold at least five bilateral meetings throughout the summit, with the leaders of Italy, the United Arab Emirates, India, and South Korea also on the agenda. The full summit program includes discussions on the Middle East and the growing crisis in international development funding as major donors scale back foreign aid commitments globally.
