Carney in Dublin for European talks on Ukraine, security and energy

Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Ireland on Wednesday to discuss security, energy and the future of Ukraine with European leaders, according to The Globe and Mail. He is set to attend the European Political Community meeting in Dublin on Thursday, hosted by the Irish government.

The meeting will include about 50 leaders and representatives, mainly from Europe. The European Political Community forum was set up in 2022, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Dublin summit is co-hosted by Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) Michael Martin and European Council President Antonio Costa.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Dublin to brief leaders on Ukraine peace talks. U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff planned to join him there after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The summit followed peace talks in Abu Dhabi, the first in nine months, where negotiators reported progress, including a large-scale prisoner exchange.

Canada's own role in the meeting is also drawing attention. The Prime Minister's Office said Canada will be the only non-European country to address the forum. Canada is working toward becoming the European Union's first associate member, a status that is not written into the bloc's founding treaties, the agreements that set out how the EU works. The term was first proposed publicly in September and has no legal standing under those treaties.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in October, at an EU-Canada summit in Montreal, that Canada's new relationship with Brussels will be worked out in the months ahead.