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Carney: Trump is no longer interested in Canada's annexation
US President Donald Trump is no longer interested in annexing Canada, according to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney spoke about growing defense spending and bilateral relations.
Carney: Trump is no longer interested in Canada's annexation
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that Canada no longer believes U.S. President Donald Trump is interested in making Canada the 51st federal state.
No annexation under discussion
When asked by CNN's Christiane Amanpour if Trump still says he wants to annex Canada, Carney replied: "No, he doesn't." He added: "He admires Canada. It's fair to say he may have desired Canada for a while."
Previous statements on Canada
This is not the first time an official has declared the country's annexation over. On May 22, Peter Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, told CBC, CNN's broadcast partner, that "Donald Trump is no longer talking about" Canada becoming the 51st federal state. However, several days later, Trump posted on social media that Canada should actually become the 51st state to benefit from his proposed missile defense system.
Changes in relations with the USA
Carney has repeatedly stressed that the old, close partnership between Canada and the United States is “over.” He began his term courting European partners in the United Kingdom and France and even worked with Australia on new radar systems for the Canadian Arctic.
Increased defense spending
Still, Carney acknowledged Trump had pushed Canada to increase defense spending, particularly to meet the defense spending target for NATO members. “The president is focused on transforming a number of bilateral relationships,” Carney told Amanpour. "We're in NATO. He's focused on making sure all members, including Canada, pay their fair share. I think that's what we're doing now."
Trump's influence on the Middle East
Carney also stated that Trump has the “potential to be decisive” on the situation in the Middle East. While comprehensive peace in the region is the ultimate goal, he added, the current priority should be achieving "the basics": a ceasefire, a full resumption of humanitarian assistance and the release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
Iran's response to military actions
"He has used his influence and US power in other situations. We just saw this in Iran. It creates opportunities for progress and there is a moral obligation to move forward," Carney added.
The Canadian prime minister also praised Iran's "proportionate" response to the US bombing of three nuclear sites: a highly predictable attack on a regional US military base that was largely intercepted. "The military action was also a diplomatic move by Iran. We obviously do not welcome hostilities and reactions, but it was proportionate, de-escalatory and appeared to be coordinated," Carney concluded.