The coalition of countries supporting Ukraine, including Canada, face a pivotal moment as they convene in Paris this week to map out a credible pathway towards a possible ceasefire and reconstruction.

Prime Minister Mark Carney will attend the gathering of more than 30 leaders, where the key issue of postwar security guarantees will be discussed. Those bilateral assurances are intended to deter Russia from taking a breather and then resuming its push to take over all of its Eastern European neighbours in a few years’ time. 

The leaders will meet on Tuesday at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. In the run-up, however, there will be a meeting of defence chiefs from coalition countries on Monday.

That comes on the heels of a meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had with 18 coalition national security and defence advisers in Kyiv over the weekend.