Biden, Trudeau Meeting to Focus on Ukraine and Canada’s Defense Strategy

OTTAWA—President Biden made his first visit to Canada as president Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that are expected to focus on the war in Ukraine and a U.S. push for Canada to bolster its northern defenses and spend more on its military.

Mr. Biden’s first trip north of the U.S. border, typically an early stop for a new president, was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. White House officials said Mr. Biden is eager to discuss with Mr. Trudeau ways to strengthen the two nations’ joint defense of North American airspace through the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or Norad. U.S. and Canadian senior officials said the agenda would also include climate-change policies, the supply of critical minerals, and migration across their shared border.