Canadaupdated 48m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 19 July 2026Mark Carney Faces Questions In Istanbul Over Ukraine Starshield Access And Canada Dependence
“Negotiators from the NATO allies would convene next month in Ankara to kick off the first round of free trade talks”
“Carney's reference was clear: We don't want to find ourselves in the same situation as Ukraine.”
Photo: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Canada seeks to model its defense procurement on Türkiye's SSB to bolster domestic arms sector. Carney discussed Ukraine Starshield access limits amid missile strikes and humanitarian suffering during Istanbul talks.
Carney, Turkey, and satellites
Prime Minister Mark Carney faced questions in Istanbul about limits on Ukraine's access to the Starshield military-grade satellite network, and he said he was trying to find the right adjective for whoever took the decision "against a country" that is "literally fighting for the lives of its citizens against naked aggression." Carney linked the issue to Canadian concerns about dependence, saying "We as Canadians do not want to be caught in a situation where we are reliant on one provider" that could "put Canadians at risk — or compromises our sovereignty."
Ukrainian officials said they had lost some access to Starshield early last week, and the CBC reported that Ukraine uses Starshield to track incoming missiles and jet-powered drones and to guide interceptor and spy drones. Carney's comments also connected to Ottawa's stated goal of reducing reliance on Starlink in favour of a future Telesat system, while the CBC said Carney's reference was clear without naming the United States or the Trump administration.
A strategic partnership in Ankara
In Ankara on Thursday, Prime Minister Mark Carney met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the two NATO allies upgraded their relations to a "strategic partnership" as Ottawa sought to expand trade partners and reduce reliance on the United States. Carney said the strategic partnership would have four pillars and include a three-year action plan, and he told Erdogan at his presidential palace in Ankara, "We’ve planted the seeds of something new: a strategic partnership" that would create "greater security and prosperity for both our peoples."
Erdogan said the meeting marked "a historic step" and that "we are starting a new era between Turkey and Canada," while the Middle East Online said negotiators would convene next month in Ankara to kick off the first round of free trade talks. The Middle East Online also said Export Development Canada and Turkey’s Eximbank would sign a new deal to help companies from both countries cooperate on projects in third nations.
Defense industrial cooperation and financing
Carney's visit also centered on defense-industrial cooperation, and the Daily Sabah report said Canada planned to use Türkiye's Presidency of Defense Industries, the SSB, as a model to build up its own domestic arms sector. Daily Sabah said the SSB serves as the primary defense procurement authority, and it described Carney saying Ottawa was "in need of Turkish expertise" to strengthen its defenses and reduce reliance on foreign military systems.
The Daily Sabah report added that Carney's government wants strategic cooperation between Canadian and Turkish companies in production, innovation and technology transfer, and it said the two countries signed a Defense Sector Partnerships memorandum of understanding on Thursday. The Daily Sabah report also said Carney's multilateral "middle powers" bank aims to raise up to 100 billion pounds ($134 billion) in cheap financing, and it reported that Türkiye agreed to join Canada's Defense Security and Resilience Bank as one of 10 founding member nations.
