DUBLIN -- Prime Minister Mark Carney heard from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Thursday about the state of negotiations with Russia as the two discussed continental security with European leaders. “Security guarantees are a European responsibility, with Canada, with the United States. So there are tiers for security guarantees,” Carney said in French at the start of the European Political Community summit in Dublin. The summit is an informal gathering of leaders from around Europe that has occurred every six months since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. For the second time, Canada will be the only non-European country represented at the table. Since the last meeting in May in Armenia, Carney and European Union leaders have pitched making Canada an “associate member” of the EU -- a title they have yet to define. Carney told reporters Thursday morning the summit can help advance his goal of boosting affordability and economic opportunities for Canadians through new partnerships with Europe. “It delivers opportunity -- opportunity for our youth, for our artists, for companies. It will deliver affordability, cutting red tape, more competition in Canada, more goods, more choice and security,” he said in English. Carney also had discussions Thursday with his counterparts from Greece and Cyprus, two European Union countries that haven’t ratified Canada’s decade-old trade deal with the EU. Both countries have held back for reasons that include questions about protected origins for cheeses -- such as whether Canadian-made products can be called feta or halloumi. In his meeting with Carney, Cyprus’s President Nikos Christodoulides said he is committed to getting the trade deal ratified. “I want to mention this publicly -- we are doing whatever is necessary in order to pass the agreement, (the) free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada, which is very important for both of us,” he said. Christodoulides said the meeting was the first between a Canadian prime minister and a Cypriot president in 80 years. He said it reflects the “pro-European Canadian approach” under Carney’s leadership. Carney spoke briefly with reporters at the start of Thursday’s meetings, but most of the plenary was not broadcast. He is expected to give a press conference in a few days. The summit’s Irish hosts have locked down a chunk of central Dublin for what they are calling its largest ever gathering of international leaders. Police boats have been patrolling the River Liffey and there is a visible security presence across the city. Schools, newsrooms and an airline have reported receiving bomb threats which local authorities have said are not credible. Zelenskyy briefed more than a dozen leaders, including Carney, at a meeting co-hosted by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The Ukrainian leader discussed this week’s talks in Abu Dhabi with Russian officials organized by U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. The two are set to arrive in Dublin on Thursday evening to speak with Zelenskyy, following a talk earlier in the day in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Carney is set to leave for Asia Thursday evening. Carney said he did not attend this week’s UN Climate Conference in Turkey -- better known as COP31 -- because the leaders’ day fell on Nov. 11. “It was more important to be at Remembrance Day to honour the women and men of the Canadian Forces who served our country, who stood for democracy, often in Europe, 1/8and 3/8 supported our rights,” he said. Carney added that his environment minister will help advance Canadian interests on electrification, saying it’s a major theme of the summit in Turkiye.
