Ottawa has pledged more than 40 million Canadian dollars ($29 million) to support Prague in donating ammunition to Kyiv to defend against Russia. Introduced in February, the contribution will be used to procure “several thousand rounds of artillery ammunition.” The Czech Republic specified that non-EU sources will provide up to 800,000 shells, 500,000 of which will be 155-millimeter rounds. Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair stated, “During our discussions, Ukrainian officials have been clear that they need more artillery ammunition, rapidly.” “As we advance work to increase the domestic production of 155 mm with our Canadian industry partners, we are also committed to meeting Ukraine’s urgent needs as quickly as possible.” “By supporting Czechia’s initiative to donate large volumes of artillery munitions to Ukraine, Canada is stepping up to meet one of Ukraine’s most pressing defensive requirements. Now and for the long term, Canada stands with Ukraine.”
In addition to the shells, Ottawa will set aside 7.5 million Canadian dollars ($5.5 million) to supply Ukrainian warfighters with night vision devices sourced from Ontario-based defense contractor Twenty20 Insight. Meanwhile, Canada has confirmed its official participation in Latvia and the UK’s initiative to provide up to one million unmanned aerial systems for Ukraine. For this purpose, Ottawa signed a 95-million Canadian dollar ($70 million) agreement with American company Teledyne FLIR last month to deliver more than 900 SkyRanger multi-mission drones to Kyiv.
Prior to Canada’s latest announcement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Kyiv to reaffirm the country’s commitment to Ukraine and the corresponding long-term defense cooperation that was established last year. In July 2023, Canada announced it will double its warfighter deployment in Latvia to ensure military presence in the region bordering Russian territories. Ottawa and Riga held joint military training for Ukrainian junior officers two months earlier to boost their leadership skills in combat, planning, intelligence, and maneuver. In March 2023, the Canadian government unveiled plans to donate additional munitions to Ukraine in response to Russia’s illegal invasion.
