Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Sunday to join President Volodymyr Zelensky at celebrations marking Ukraine’s 34th Independence Day. It was Carney’s first trip to the country since taking office in March and the first by a Canadian leader since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. At a joint news conference, Carney said Canada backs Ukraine’s call for robust post-war security guarantees and "would not exclude the presence of troops" in a future peacekeeping mission once a cease-fire is reached. He argued that the strength of Ukraine’s armed forces alone would be insufficient and must be “buttressed and reinforced” by international partners. Carney confirmed that Kyiv will receive more than C$1 billion (US$723 million) in military aid next month from a previously announced package and signed an agreement to co-produce drones in Ukraine. Ottawa says its overall financial and military support for Ukraine now totals about C$22 billion. U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg and several European defence ministers also attended the Independence Day events, underscoring a wider diplomatic effort led by President Donald Trump to broker a peace deal. Trump has ruled out sending U.S. ground forces but indicated Washington could provide air and intelligence support as part of any settlement.