President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Canada has agreed to provide Ukraine with «a very important air defense package», as well as support for the energy sector. He made the announcement on Thursday in Calgary, Alberta, ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Since the start of Russia‘s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Canada—one of Ukraine‘s most active supporters—has committed over C$25.5 billion in total aid, including C$8.5 billion in military support. Meanwhile, Ukraine‘s stockpiles of American Patriot interceptors, which are capable of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles, are at critically low levels amid intensifying Russian attacks.
Details of aid and winter preparations
Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the air defense package as «very important» and «critically needed», though he did not disclose details regarding its contents. He also did not specify what support Canada would provide to the Ukrainian energy sector.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mark Carney were scheduled to address reporters at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time (16:30 GMT).
In his statements, Mark Carney pledged that Canada would provide Ukraine with additional assistance to counter Russian attacks and would continue to support its aspirations to join NATO and the European Union.
Upon arriving in Canada, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the primary topics of his visit would be supporting Ukrainian air defense and preparations for winter.
Source: The Straits Times
