Canada’s foreign minister, Anita Anand, has emphasised that Ottawa’s deepening partnership with the European Union is a deliberate, long-term strategy rather than a knee-jerk reaction to the policies of US President Donald Trump. Speaking during a visit to Brussels on the Euronews programme 12 Minutes With, Anand outlined a foreign policy centred on middle-power cooperation and reducing Canada’s traditional reliance on the United States.
“Over the last year, we’ve signed over 20 security, defence and economic agreements around the world, and we’re just getting started,” Anand said. She insisted that these relationships are built to endure: “They will stand the test of time. The reason is that it’s not just a policy response. The policy response is based on like-mindedness, on shared values, and on the belief that territorial integrity, state sovereignty, and multilateral trade are important values that we will continue to collectively work for in the short and long term.”
Middle Powers Forge a New Path
Anand’s remarks come days after Canada made history by becoming the first non-European country to participate in a European Political Community (EPC) summit, held in Yerevan, Armenia. “We are very enthusiastic about continuing to work with Europe, with like-minded countries,” she said of the gathering. She pointed to existing frameworks such as the SAFE agreement, the Security and Defence Partnership, and CETA—the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the EU—as foundations for deeper ties.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking at the same EPC summit, declared that Europe would not submit to an “insular and brutal world” and could serve as a base for rebuilding a new international order. Earlier this year at Davos, Carney highlighted a “rupture” in the US-led system of global governance and argued that middle powers must chart a new course. Anand echoed that sentiment: “What I believe we should be looking at is how we can work together pragmatically for our respective countries to deliver economic benefits and defence and security benefits.”
The question of whether Canada might eventually seek EU membership has surfaced amid deteriorating relations with Washington. When asked directly, Anand was non-committal, stating: “What we’re doing is diversifying our trade relationships and really doubling down on this middle-power approach across a series of areas, whether it is security and defence, economic interests, agriculture and agri-food, artificial intelligence…”
Alignment on Ukraine
Canada and the EU remain closely aligned on the response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Anand was in Brussels on 11 May to co-chair a high-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. She announced new sanctions against 23 individuals and five entities involved in violations against Ukrainian children, adding to existing measures.
On the possibility of Canada joining future talks between Brussels and Moscow, Anand was unequivocal: decisions on Ukraine’s future rest with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “We believe that any mediator that is chosen must be one that Ukraine agrees with. In particular, we want to see a ceasefire, which Zelenskyy agreed to, respected. What we’ve seen is Russia violating ceasefires, violating commitments, violating international law, unjustifiably and illegally killing Ukrainian individuals… That’s unacceptable.”
This stance aligns with the broader European position, as EU foreign ministers remain divided over direct talks with Putin. Meanwhile, EU defence ministers are charting strategy on Ukraine, the Middle East, and European readiness.
Canada’s pivot toward Europe reflects a strategic recalibration by a middle power seeking to diversify its alliances in a volatile geopolitical landscape. As Anand put it, the partnership with the EU is “only getting started.”
