Today, Defence Minister Anita Anand and Chief of the Defence Staff, General Wayne Eyre, participated in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
The UDCG meeting, hosted by United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, sees defence ministers and senior military officials from over 50 countries discuss the ongoing security crisis in Ukraine and coordinate military assistance to address Ukraine's current and longer-term defence priorities.
At the meeting, Minister Anand reinforced the importance of efforts by Allies and partners to coordinate military assistance donations, including the delivery of urgent priority equipment to Ukraine. Earlier this week, Minister Anand announced additional donations to Ukraine, including 200 Senator Armoured Personnel Carriers sourced from Canadian company Roshel. Last week, Minister Anand announced that Canada is sending Ukraine a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and associated munitions sourced from the United States.
Prior to the UDCG meeting, Minister Anand visited Kyiv, which included a bilateral meeting with Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov. Discussions focused on the current state of conflict in Ukraine, and how Canada can continue to assist Ukraine in meeting their pressing defence needs. Minister Anand highlighted Canada's longstanding military support to Ukraine, including our training mission - Operation UNIFIER, donations which include, but are not limited to armoured vehicles, artillery, drone cameras, and winter clothing, and ongoing efforts by the Royal Canadian Air Force to transport Ukraine-bound military aid donated by Canada, Allies, and partners.
