Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday he backed Ukraine's calls for robust security guarantees as part of any peace deal, saying Canada would not rule out sending troops under such a framework.

On the day celebrating Ukraine's independence, Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada made a surprise visit to Ukraine where Ottawa and Kyiv entered several agreements centered on defending the besieged European nation.

Carney’s arrival in Kyiv adds to a historic chain that connects Canada to the war-ravaged nation, from first welcoming Ukrainian settlers in 1891, to becoming the first Western nation to recognize Ukraine as a country in December 1991, to Ottawa’s now decade-old mission to lead the training of Ukraine’s military to repel Russian invaders.