Canada and EU pull together as US pushes them away

Canada signed a defense partnership with the European Union on Monday, the latest indication that two of America's closest allies are deepening their military cooperation as President Donald Trump pulls away and promises to reduce the United States' role in international security.

Trump has been pushing for other countries in NATO -- which includes Canada and most European Union nations -- to invest far more in their militaries, accusing them of relying too much on the United States.

He has called into question America's commitment to defending some NATO members and has launched a trade war against some of the closest traditional allies of the United States.

Now, his approach is rewiring the world's web of partnerships.

America's longtime allies are moving to ramp up their own military spending, in line with Trump's demands. NATO leaders will gather in The Hague on Tuesday, where they are expected to agree to sharply raise military spending.

But as Canada, Germany, France and other countries in the 27-nation European Union pour money into protecting their own territories and preparing for a future rife with geopolitical tension, they are also striking new alliances. They are seeking to pull closer together, while also moving to be less dependent on an increasingly capricious United States.

"We have an excellent partnership, between two strong democracies, bound by historic ties, and connected by a trade partnership that is dynamic, fair and open," Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said in Brussels, as she greeted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. "It is time to go to the next level, to step up our the intensity of our partnership."

Von der Leyen on Monday called the new security and defense agreement with Canada "the most comprehensive we've ever concluded."

And, speaking more bluntly, she added, "As the saying goes, hard times reveal true friends."

Canada's new deal with the European Union will pave the way for the country to sign on to the signature program in Europe's push to ratchet up its military armament, a 150 billion euro (nearly $174 billion) defense procurement plan.

The money is meant to fund big joint projects, but there's a catch. Only 35% of the funds dedicated to any project carried out under the program can be used to purchase weapons from countries that are not signed on to the plan.

To gain full access to the program for their national defense industries, countries have been striking defense agreements with the European Union. Britain signed one in May, and Australia concluded one last week.

The United States has no such agreement, which means that the number of F-35 bombers, Patriot air-defense systems and other U.S.-made materials that can be purchased through the program will be limited.

For Carney, Canada's participation in the European Union's defense industrial program is an early win as he tries to make good on a promise to push for a new trade deal with the United States, while also cultivating deeper economic and strategic alliances with other countries.

The agreement, which The New York Times first reported in March, will bolster Canada's defense industry by giving it better access to European Union contracts. A 2022 review found that about half of Canada's defense products were exported, overwhelmingly to the United States.

The EU agreement flexes Canada's independence from the United States while offering the Canadian defense industry a new source of income.

"It's crucial for Canada, but I also think it shows a way forward to the world," Carney said Monday.

For Canada, forming tighter bonds with foreign partners is especially crucial as Trump regularly questions the country's very sovereignty.

Trump has obsessed about making Canada the 51st state -- a threat that catapulted Carney, a political novice, to win federal elections in April on an anti-Trump ticket.

A recent poll found that nearly 50% of Canadians were interested in pursuing a bid for Canada to join the European Union -- an aspiration EU officials have said is flattering, but impossible.