The federal government is giving Ukraine an additional $440 million in military assistance, adding to Canada’s commitment of $19.5 billion since February 2022.
Defence Minister Bill Blair announced the military aid on Jan. 9 during the 25th Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The UDCG, a U.S.-led coalition of 57 countries and the European Union, coordinates military support to Ukraine in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion. This latest contribution will provide ammunition, drones, and winter gear to support Ukraine’s defence.
Calling ammunition one of Ukraine’s “highest priorities,” the National Defence Department said nearly half ($200 million) of the $440 million will support Czechia’s initiative to purchase and deliver large-calibre ammunition. This builds on Canada’s $53 million contribution to the initiative last year. Another $50 million will go toward purchasing additional ammunition from Canadian industry, according to the press release.
In addition to ammunition, Canada is providing $100 million to support Ukraine’s domestic defence industries in producing military drones. Ottawa had contributed $3 million to this initiative in April 2024 and donated 900 Canadian-built SkyRanger drones, 560 of which have already been delivered to Ukraine, according to the Department of National Defence.
Blair further announced the donation of $30 million worth of winter gear, including sleeping bags, winter boots, and thermal layers, to support Ukrainian troops in harsh winter conditions. Another $64 million worth of high-resolution drone cameras were also delivered to Ukraine in November and December 2024.
“The military assistance announced today provides Ukrainians with resources needed to resist Russian aggression,” Blair said in the press release, highlighting Canada’s “strong commitment” to working with allies to support Ukraine until its victory.
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Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Canada has committed over $19.5 billion in total assistance to Ukraine, including $4.5 billion in military aid, according to government figures. The military aid includes Leopard 2 main battle tanks, armoured combat support vehicles, anti-tank weapons, M777 howitzers, and more.
The department noted that the donations announced on Jan. 9 are part of the additional $500 million in military assistance committed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the 2024 NATO Summit, along with the $1.6 billion announced in Budget 2024.
A February 2024 survey by Angus Reid found a decline in Canadians’ willingness to support Ukraine, with 25 percent believing Canada is doing too much to assist in the fight against Russia, up from 13 percent in May 2022. Meanwhile, the proportion of those who think Canada is not doing enough has halved, from 38 percent to 19 percent, during the same period.
In the recently tabled 2024 Fall Economic Statement, the Liberal government said the contributions to Ukraine are part of efforts of “securing democracy.”
