OTTAWA—As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other world leaders declared solidarity with Ukraine on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on plans to work with Russia to end the gruelling war and “recoup” American aid poured into the war effort by laying claim to Ukraine’s critical mineral wealth. Trump made the comments on social media Monday in a post that took yet another expansionist shot against Trudeau, who was in Kyiv to attend the International Summit on the Support of Ukraine and lead a meeting of G7 leaders. “The meeting was convened by Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada, the current chair of G7, to acknowledge the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine War — which would have never started if I was president,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, after participating in the call with French President Emmanuel Macron from Washington. “Everyone expressed their goal of seeing the war end, and I emphasized the importance of the vital ‘critical minerals and rare-earths deal’ between the United States and Ukraine, which we hope will be signed very soon!” Trump wrote that the deal — which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has yet to sign — “will ensure the American people recoup the tens of billions of dollars and military equipment sent to Ukraine, while also helping Ukraine’s economy grow as this brutal and savage war comes to an end.” The deal would see Ukraine supply the U.S. with minerals needed for products like batteries and electronics. While Zelenskyy has opposed versions of the agreement, officials on both sides have said they are now closer to reaching a deal. Trump also said he was in “serious discussions” with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war, with talks proceeding “very well.” He told reporters, following a meeting with Macron in which Ukraine’s pathway to peace loomed large, that he planned to meet with Zelenskyy — possibly within the week — to sign a pact. Trump also said he still hoped to meet with Putin, nearly a week after senior U.S. officials met with Moscow representatives in Saudi Arabia — with no Ukrainian officials present — to chart a path toward ending the war and strengthening diplomatic and economic opportunities. Trump’s attempts to forge ties with the Kremlin mark a significant deviation from years of U.S. foreign policy. Ukraine’s absence from recent peace talks did not go unnoticed by either Trudeau or Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. “We must do everything in our power to enable Ukraine to secure a just and lasting peace, a peace that cannot be achieved without Ukrainians at the table,” Trudeau said in Kyiv. “That is precisely what Canada is focused on. Canada has been a steadfast, unshakable partner to Ukraine since the beginning, and that will never, ever change.” Poilievre’s Conservatives have faced questions about their support for Ukraine, notably in 2023 when Tory MPs voted against a modernized free trade deal with the country over a belief the treaty would impose carbon pricing on Ukraine, which already put its own price in place in 2011. On Monday, the Conservative leader released a statement that hearkened back to the war’s 2014 beginnings, before the full-scale invasion was launched in 2022. “At that time, the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper took a clear and principled stand. While many other countries dithered, Canada sent troops to Ukraine under Operation UNIFIER and played a leading role in removing the Russian Federation from the G8. What was right in 2014 remains right today, Vladmir Putin (sic) should not be allowed back into this forum,” Poilievre’s statement read. “And I want to be completely clear — Conservatives believe that no process for peace negotiations should happen without Ukraine being part of these discussions. Ukrainians have the right to determine their own future,” he added. Later in the day, Trudeau, speaking at a news conference alongside other global leaders including Zelenskyy, said that while Canada feels “deeply connected” to Ukraine, support for the country is about much more than the war effort. “It’s about the rules and the values and the principles of sovereignty, of independence, of territorial integrity that protects every country in the world. All of us rely on those rules, to be able to build peace and security,” he said. Zelenskyy interrupted reporters’ questions following Trudeau’s remarks to convey his “love” for Canada and his appreciation for its prime minister. “You helped a lot,” he said. “And a lot of your people helped us at the very beginning of (the) war.” On Monday, Canada committed to providing the first half of the $5 billion it has promised to give Ukraine in revenues from seized Russian assets. In additional military aid, Trudeau pledged to send 25 more light-armoured vehicles to Ukraine, along with four F-16 flight simulators, among other measures. When asked whether he was open to sending Canadian soldiers to Ukraine, Trudeau didn’t directly address the prospect, saying Canada will have to do “more and more in an uncertain world” in terms of defence commitments writ large. “Canada will be there. As to how we will be there, we will work with our neighbours on it, but everything is on the table because we need to make sure that might no longer makes right in this world.” Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Trudeau and Trump spoke over the weekend about the war, and that Canada is still working with its European and American counterparts to release a G7 statement marking the invasion’s third anniversary. “Right now, Canada and other countries don’t agree with the position that the U.S. advocated at the (United Nations), particularly the resolution that they brought up,” Joly said from London, where she was holding meetings. The U.S. had proposed a draft U.N. resolution that acknowledged the war’s devastation but failed to mention Russia’s aggression. With files from The Associated Press