In a comment to the media, I expressed doubt that agreements with a loud name—a century-old one—could be made now. A century-old?! We should aim to attract assistance for a few years ahead. Ideally, sign a real agreement on joint defense and security. Who knows what will happen in 100 years?! It might not even be beneficial for Ukraine…
Well, a beautiful, comprehensive “Declaration on 100-Year Partnership” with Canada has emerged. All the grandiose things are inscribed, all the current agreements (90% of which were already reached earlier) gathered in one place. It will be easier for international relations students to navigate.
But the content… At first glance: some areas indeed show progress (primarily defense and security), while others are practically “running in place”—economic and trade cooperation, visa-free regime; in some areas, there is now simply a void, particularly projects in the space sector.
However, there is still a chance to improve the situation and solidify truly important areas of partnership between Ukraine and Canada. The Declaration mentions the intention to conclude by December 2026 a “100-Year Partnership Agreement…”
I hope that this Agreement (unlike the Declaration) will be more specific, not just a rewriting of provisions from previous documents, with clear and detailed binding norms and more ambitious than merely recording previously reached agreements.
You may be offended, surprised, and draw incorrect conclusions about the reasons for such my evaluation. But I’ll be frank: I am for content, not form. We should not turn foreign policy into sheer advertising, where the packaging is more important than the content!
P.S. Well, see the text for yourself; for now, only the English version is available from the Canadian partners.
Photo: Presidential Office
