PM Carney confirms talks with Trump over trade war, meets Zelenskyy in Toronto

Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed Thursday that he and U.S. President Donald Trump have spoken "a couple of times" over the last few days, as efforts continue to manage the escalating trade conflict between the two countries.

Carney made the comments at a news conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in Canada this week for a three-day visit focused on defence and economic cooperation. The prime minister said he speaks to Trump regularly and that the two leaders can "compartmentalize" their differences while working together on global issues.

"Part of their responsibility is to work together to resolve global issues like the war in Ukraine," Carney said at the news conference. The Prime Minister's Office confirmed the conversations took place over the last few days but declined to provide details of what was discussed.

The talks come as the trade war between Canada and the U.S. intensifies. Efforts to reach a trade deal collapsed in mid-August, and the day after negotiations broke down, Trump imposed 50 per cent duties on $28 billion in Canadian goods. Canada responded this week by implementing retaliatory tariffs of its own.

The trade conflict has prompted Ontario Premier Doug Ford to signal a hardened stance. At a news conference in Toronto, Ford said: "If the United States escalates, I will not hesitate to shut the electricity off completely."

Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, has noted that Trump's annexation threats carry political weight in the current climate.

The specific terms of the failed mid-August trade negotiations, which issues remained unresolved, and the full scope of Canada's retaliatory tariff measures have not been publicly detailed.