Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence, participated in the 13th Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting in Brussels, hosted by United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III. The meeting brought together representatives from approximately 50 countries, who gathered to discuss the provision of military aid to Ukraine.
Minister Anand reiterated Canada's unwavering support to Ukraine, and highlighted Canada's latest tranche of military aid to Ukraine, announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 10, 2023:
- Canada will commit $500 million in new funding for military assistance to support Ukraine's capacity to defend itself from Russian aggression.
- Canada will donate 288 AIM-7 missiles to Ukraine from Canadian Armed Forces inventory. to support Ukraine in its efforts to defend its skies.
- Canada will provide 10,000 rounds of 105mm ammunition from Canadian Armed Forces inventory to sustain artillery systems in Ukraine..
- Operation UNIFIER will be extended to 2026, providing significant capacity for the Canadian Armed Forces to respond to urgent Ukraine training needs.
- Canada will contribute to multinational efforts to train pilots and maintain and support Ukraine's F-16s, leveraging Canadian expertise in these areas.
- Canada will also be contributing to the Leopard 2 tank maintenance centre in Poland.
The Minister also provided updates on the delivery of Canada's commitments to Ukraine:
- All 200 Senator armoured vehicles announced by Minister Anand in January have been produced, with 116 vehicles already delivered and 18 more to be delivered next week.
- The following previously announced Canadian donations will also be delivered in the coming days:
- 6,750 assault rifles;
- 1.1 million rounds of 7.62mm ammunition;
- 250,000 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition; and
- 70,000 rounds of sniper ammunition.
Canada will continue to work with allies and partners to provide Ukraine with the military aid that it needs to defend itself.
