Defence minister announces nearly $65 million in aid to Ukraine

OTTAWA — Canada announced the details of a $64.8 million military aid package to Ukraine Friday as National Defence Minister Bill Blair attended a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels.

Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia was a key topic at the meeting, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the ministers during the meeting.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, chairing his first NATO defence ministers’ meeting since taking the role earlier in October, said the alliance’s members are on track to deliver almost $60 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.

“The war in Ukraine has shown that instability in Europe can have far-reaching consequences across the world, and that countries thousands of miles away — as far away as Iran, China and even North Korea — can become security spoilers in our own backyard,” Rutte said, according to a statement published by NATO.

Canada has committed more than $19.5 billion in support to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. That includes the $500 million promised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the NATO summit in July.

The money Blair announced Friday comes out of that July commitment, of which more than $50 million will help buy arms, ammunition and military drones as well as uniforms and personal protective equipment for Ukrainian soldiers.

The remaining funding is to support military training for those soldiers and to strengthen Ukrainian cyber forces.

In a statement on X posted after the meeting, Zelenskyy expressed the importance of his allies’ collective support of Ukraine during the Russian invasion.

“Only through joint pressure on Russia, using all available means and tools, can we achieve our goal of real and just peace as quickly as possible,” Zelenskyy said.

U.S. President Joe Biden encouraged Western allies to continue supporting Ukraine in a meeting with European leaders Friday in Germany.

“As Ukraine faces a tough winter, we must — we must — sustain our resolve, our effort and our support,” Biden said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.

-With files from The Associated Press.

David Cummings, The Canadian Press