Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Aug. 24.Efrem Lukatsky/The Associated Press
Canada is providing another $50-million to furnish Ukraine with combat drones and drone parts as Kyiv nears the end of a fourth year of fighting a full-scale invasion by Russia.
Defence Minister David McGuinty announced the funds Tuesday during the 32nd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), which co-ordinates military aid to Ukraine from more than 50 countries. The meeting was held virtually and hosted by Germany and Britain.
The money for the Drone Capability Coalition (DCC), builds on Canada’s previous contributions of $37-million. This division of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group co-ordinates donations, procurement, training, and technological development for unmanned aerial systems including first-person view (FPV) attack drones.
The aid is arriving as Ukraine is under pressure to accept a U.S.-backed peace plan with terms unfavourable to Kyiv.
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A statement from Mr. McGuinty’s office said Canada will continue donating surplus Canadian Armed Forces equipment to Kyiv, including motors and other parts for AIM-7 and AIM-9 missiles, with deliveries to Ukraine in early 2026.
Earlier this week, Ottawa announced the Canadian government is buying $200-million of military gear for Ukraine through a mechanism set up by Donald Trump and the NATO military alliance after the U.S. President signaled he wanted to reduce Washington’s contributions to Kyiv.
The Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) was developed by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Mr. Trump after the June NATO leaders’ summit in the Netherlands where the United States said it wanted other allies to shoulder far more of the burden of supporting Ukraine.
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Under PURL, NATO identifies packages of equipment and munitions that Ukraine requires. Allies contribute funding for these packages, which NATO then uses to purchase the items from U.S. stockpiles.
Kyiv has been fighting an all-out military assault from Moscow since February, 2022.
In total, Canada has disbursed about $22-billion in assistance to Ukraine including $6.5-billion in military aid.
“At this pivotal moment for Euro-Atlantic security, Canada remains committed to working closely with NATO Allies and international partners to deliver and co-ordinate comprehensive military assistance to Ukraine while strengthening the Alliance’s resilience,” the Defence Minister’s office said in a statement.