Carney, Trump hold 'constructive' call ahead of NATO summit

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that US President Donald Trump called him on Wednesday ahead of NATO talks, describing a wide-ranging and "constructive" conversation that touched on the alliance, Iran, and the broader Middle East.

"The president called me yesterday. We had a long discussion with him and, at times, some of his senior officials, Secretary Hegseth, and commander in chief, on a range of issues, some related to NATO and some related to the situation in Iran and the broader Middle East," Carney said during a news conference in Ottawa.

"(It) is a very constructive conversation. Those things we're working on together," he added.

On the prospect of a Canada-US deal, Carney urged patience. "What I have seen with the president is that you're not close to making a deal, and then you make a deal," he said. "We're not going to sign a bad deal, so it has to be a real deal."

Ties between Ottawa and Washington have deteriorated sharply since US President Donald Trump took office, with US tariffs on Canadian goods and Trump’s repeated suggestions that Canada should become the 51st US state straining relations.