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In a blistering speech on Friday, U.S. Vice-President JD Vance told European leaders “there is a new sheriff in town under Donald Trump’s leadership” and warned governments that internal threats to democracy, like election cancellations and censorship, are greater threats to their countries than external antagonists like China and Russia. “The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor,” Vance said, speaking at the Munich Security Conference. “What I worry about is the threat from within — the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.“I’ve heard a lot about what you need to defend yourselves from and of course, that’s important. But what has seemed a ...

Increasingly alarmed that U.S. security priorities lie elsewhere, a group of European countries has been quietly working on a plan to send troops into Ukraine to help enforce any future peace settlement with Russia. Britain and France are at the forefront of the effort, though details remain scarce.The countries involved in the discussions are reluctant to tip their hand and give Russian President Vladimir Putin an edge should he agree to negotiate an end to the war he launched three years ago.What is clear is that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy needs a guarantee that his country’s security will be assured until peace takes hold.The best protection would be the NATO membership that Ukraine has long been promised, but the U.S. has taken that option off the table.“I won’t get into t...

The future of Ukraine is the top item on the agenda at the Munich Security Conference following a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week, when they pledged to work together to end the three-year-old Russia-Ukraine conflict. U.S. Vice President JD Vance hammered home the U.S. demand that the NATO alliance step up defence spending on Friday, ahead of a security meeting in Europe at a time of intense concern and uncertainty over the Trump administration’s foreign policy.Vance is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later Friday for talks that many observers, particularly in Europe, hope will shed at least some light on Trump’s ideas for a negotiated settlement to the war.Vance started his day in Munich meeting separately ...

The Ontario NDP is asking the integrity commissioner and Elections Ontario to investigate a campaign video from PC Leader Doug Ford’s trip to Washington D.C. this week, portions of which were supported using taxpayer resources. The complaint was lodged after a new video was posted on social media Thursday morning showing Ford and two Progressive Conservative candidates walking around Washington D.C.The video also included footage from an event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and meetings with elected officials, which were paid for and organized by the government.The video, uploaded to Ford’s social media page ended with the PC Party’s campaign slogan, Protect Ontario.The footage was deleted several hours after it was first posted online on Thursday and re-uploaded to Ford’s social media ac...