Canada to Send First NASAMS Air Defence System to Ukraine
The Canadian government will send Ukraine the first NASAMS air defence system. This was announced on social media by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a telephone conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
According to him, he and Trudeau discussed the ‘formula for peace’ and the ‘victory plan’, which was presented to the Canadian prime minister in more detail last week, as well as cooperation in organising the second Global Peace Summit with broad representation.
‘In addition, the Prime Minister (Trudeau) announced the shipment of the first air defence system ordered by Canada for Ukraine, NASAMS. We expect to receive it by the end of this year,’ he announced.
The two leaders also discussed further defence support for Ukraine, the situation on the battlefield, ‘in particular the involvement of North Korea in the war’, and coordinated cooperation within the framework of Canada's presidency of the Group of Seven in 2025.
Ottawa announced plans to transfer the NASAMS air defence system to Ukraine in January 2023.
The plan was that Canada would pay the US government the full cost of the system, and the United States would sign a contract to sell the equipment directly to Ukraine.
However, as of early 2024, it was reported that the NASAMS system had not yet been shipped to Ukraine from Canada.