Canada to donate $3M to Ukraine drone production, buy more ammunition
Canada will donate $3 million to support drone production in Ukraine, officials said Friday as western allies committed billions of dollars in additional aid for Kyiv to fight Russia’s invasion.
Defence Minister Bill Blair said the financial assistance is being made in collaboration with the United Kingdom. It marks the first time Canada, which has already committed to sending hundreds of drones to the warfront, is contributing directly to the Ukrainian defence industry.
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Canada has also leaned on European supplies to get ammunition to the warfront quickly, as its own commitment to send domestically-produced bullets and shells will take much longer to deliver on.
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The urgency comes as senior U.S. and Canadian officials have described dire battlefield conditions in Ukraine, as troops run low on munitions and Russian forces make gains.
Gen. C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the $1 billion weapons package will have a key benefit.
“There’s some near-term effects,” said Brown, who stood alongside Austin at a Pentagon briefing after the meeting. “Now the Ukrainians don’t necessarily have to ration what they have because they know things are coming out of this package and there will be follow-on packages.”
Blair also used Friday’s defence meeting to provide updates on the deliveries of previously-committed Canadian military donations.
The Ontario-built SkyRanger drones are set to begin deliveries in May, he said, while the first wave of armoured vehicles as well as 10 tactical boats promised to Ukraine should be delivered this summer.
Since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, the U.S. has sent more than $44 billion worth of weapons, maintenance, training and spare parts to Ukraine. Canada has contributed over $4 billion in military aid.
— With files from the Canadian Press and the Associated Press
