Canada joins allies to send air defense missiles to Ukraine – National

Canada is joining a three-month-old partnership with several key allies to send air defense missiles to Ukraine.

Defense Minister Bill Blair is in the United Kingdom today and announced a $33 million contribution from Canada during a visit to Canadian soldiers helping to train Ukrainian recruits at military training camp by Lydd.

The money comes from the $500 million fund announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in June 2023 for military a*sistance to Ukraine.

That same month, the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States teamed up to deliver hundreds of short- and medium-range air defense missiles to help Ukraine protect against Russian missile and drone attacks.

For just over a year, Canadian Armed Forces personnel have provided training courses in Lydd to approximately 2,600 Ukrainian recruits in weapons handling, battlefield first aid and patrol tactics.

Canada has provided $8 billion in aid to Ukraine over the past year and a half, including $1.8 billion in military aid in the form of weapons, ammunition, military vehicles, security cameras, drones and winter clothing.