Ariana Gic

Independent Political Analyst

York University – Osgoode Hall Law School  

Direct Initiative International Centre for Ukraine

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Jan 6, 2026

I’m glad people are waking up to the reality that Trump is prepared to use military force against Canada, but let’s be honest – this has been apparent since Trump first said we should become the 51st state.

This terrifying threat became impossible to ignore when he started parroting the EXACT propaganda narratives Putin used against Ukraine to justify military invasion.

Trump told then PM Trudeau he wanted to “revise the boundary” between Canada and the US, calling it “an artificially drawn line” based on a treaty he claims is NOT valid.

Trump was channeling Putin, making territorial claims against Canada.

“Artificial borders” is another direct echo of Russian narratives, a lie used to attack Ukraine’s nationhood (after having waged economic warfare for years).

Like Putin’s FAKE claims about the lack of legitimacy of Ukrainian statehood, Trump is making the same argument. If Canada is based on a treaty which is “not valid,” we are an illegitimate state. Trump will need to “right” this “historical wrong.”

In February 2025, my blood ran cold when Trump said “I spoke to Governor Trudeau … they don’t have military protection, and you take a look at what’s going on out there…people are in danger…they need our protection.”

Canadians “in danger” and “in need of [US] protection” is a direct copy of Putin’s false claims that Ukrainians needed Russian “protection” when Russia invaded Ukraine. Trump clearly has this in his arsenal for a reason.

The recent claim that the US is “OUR Hemisphere, and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened,” smacks of Putin’s playbook of the “besieged fortress” sentiment. This will be used to mobilize Americans against an external threat, to create a feeling of insecurity that can be used as a pretext for pre-emptive attacks. Putin created the false sense of external threats to Russian national security as a means of whipping up support to attack Ukraine – a nation which posed absolutely zero threat to it. Canada can find itself similarly situated.

We must not ignore that Trump has been using the Russian playbook in setting pretext to annex Canada. This playbook is the playbook of MILITARY FORCE.

The US violation of the prohibition on the use of force – a fundamental principle of international law – shows that Trump has no regard for the modern international legal order. The non-use of force between States represents one of the core values of the international community. Trump showed total disregard for this universally accepted norm to exert and flaunt power, to intimidate, and to demonstrate that the US will do whatever it pleases in pursuit of nefarious goals.

Trump’s America is a dangerous, increasingly authoritarian regime, with zero regard for laws and accepted norms. Trump’s imperialist ambitions and desire to carve the world into “spheres of influence” with Russia and China make the threat of US military force against Canada a reality.

https://lnkd.in/g7Aa9d_c

Comment from :

Per Hennung

Ariana Gic This scenario is entirely unrealistic. It lacks institutional support in the United States, military logic, and any credible foundation in international law or strategic reality.

Sergiu Simion

Per Hennung : Trump’s statements are perfectly realistic because he is at the head of a great power and it is not realistic to assume that he is having fun, is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He “stated” unrealistically (?) that he would attack Venezuela and attacked it (realistically) regardless of what American laws and the international legal order say. The question is what will happen next.

Nataliia I,

We should remember people still have a power.

Today in Ukraine, an Italian national was detained at the border after openly supporting Putin , simply because a Ukrainian woman on the bus was not indifferent and reported what she heard during his conversation.

Paul D. Shipman

It’s ironic that Trump is trying to do what a certain individual tried to do in 1939-1945 in respect of land.
The future could get messy. There is a school of thought that strongly suggests that Trump is no different than Putin and Xi in his ambitions.

…………..

To the people of America:
Are you prepared to invade Greenland?
Are you prepared to take it by force?
Will you be ready to attack Canada after that?
Are you prepared to be colonizing imperialists waging war on peaceful democratic nations, including your closest neighbour?
Is this who you wish to be?

……….

Venezuelans enjoying life after American liberation.