Canada Allocates 33 Million Canadian Dollars to Ukraine to Strengthen Air Defense
Canada's Minister of National Defense, Bill Blair, announced the provision of 33 million Canadian dollars (24.5 million US dollars) to support the Ukrainian air defense system.
This information was reported on the official website of the Canadian government.
According to the announcement, Canada is making this contribution to a joint international initiative led by the United Kingdom. The initiative was started in June 2023 by several countries, including Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States, aimed at consolidating efforts to supply Ukraine with "priority air defense equipment."
In this way, Kyiv will receive from Canada "hundreds" of short and medium-range anti-aircraft missiles and "accompanying systems" necessary for Ukraine to protect its critical infrastructure.
The contribution will be financed as part of a new military aid package to Ukraine in the amount of 500 million Canadian dollars, announced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in June 2023.
The announcement also emphasizes that Canada will continue to closely cooperate with allies and partners to meet Ukraine's urgent needs in the fight against Russian aggression.
"Together, Canada and the United Kingdom support Ukraine in its fight against illegal and unjustified Russian invasion. Canada highly values the courage and strength of Ukrainians, and we will continue to provide them with comprehensive military assistance they need to fight and win",- said Canadian Minister of National Defense Bill Blair.
Canada is one of Ukraine's significant partners in the war against Russia. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Canada has provided over 8 billion Canadian dollars in support, of which 1.8 billion were directed towards military assistance.
Air defense plays a crucial role in Ukraine's ability to resist Russian military aggression, particularly in protecting civilian buildings and critical infrastructure.
It should be noted that from October 2022 to March 2023, Russia deliberately targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Since then, Russia has reduced the expenditures on its air-launched cruise missiles, while Russian leaders have emphasized efforts to increase the production of such weaponry.
Analysts at the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom believe that these facts indicate that Russia is currently accumulating resources to launch new missile strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure during the winter.