Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed the preparation of defense scenarios against a possible US invasion

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged that Ottawa was working on defense scenarios in the event of military action by the United States.

Canada plans to abandon Starlink satellite communications and is reviewing the contract for the purchase of American F-35 fighter jets in favor of European counterparts.

Relations between the US and Canada took a turn for the worse in 2025 after Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian imports and Ottawa took mirror action.

WASHINGTON, September 24 – RIA Novosti. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney admitted in an interview with the New York Times that over the past year Ottawa has been working on defense scenarios in case US President Donald Trump orders military action against its northern neighbor.

Asked how seriously Trump's threats to make Canada a "51st state" were taken in Ottawa, Carney indicated that the government had been looking closely at the prospect of a potential U.S. invasion over the past year, the newspaper reported.

"I think in a position like this, your responsibility is to think through these kinds of black swan scenarios. It's just risk management. It's not a baseline scenario (US invasion - ed.), but it would be irresponsible not to prepare for it," the newspaper reports Carney as saying.

According to the Canadian prime minister, such preparation for worst-case scenarios pushed Ottawa to a large-scale reduction in dependence on Washington. In particular, the country plans to completely abandon Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications and is reviewing a contract for the purchase of 88 American F-35 fighter jets in favor of European counterparts, including Swedish Saab Gripen aircraft for the defense of the Arctic.

Relations between the United States and Canada deteriorated sharply in 2025 after Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, citing national security threats and drug trafficking. In response, Ottawa took mirror measures.

Despite temporarily freezing tariffs and attempting to resolve disputes, Washington subsequently increased tariffs, setting them at 50% for steel and aluminum. According to Bloomberg, the recent round of trade negotiations collapsed at the last minute due to the position of US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.