Canada Finalises C$350 Million Air Defence Package for Ukraine

Canada has finalised an agreement to provide Ukraine with a C$350 million package of air defence interceptors, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Calgary.

The announcement comes as Kyiv faces a critical shortage of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors, the systems capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, while Moscow intensifies its aerial attacks.

"As Russia escalates its barbaric aerial warfare indiscriminately targeting civilian populations, Ukraine's air defences are critical," Carney told reporters. He said the equipment package would help protect Ukraine's people, infrastructure and skies.

Carney did not specify which interceptors would be supplied or when deliveries would begin. The weapons are to be procured through a U.S. programme that enables third-party nations to rapidly purchase and transfer systems such as Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

Canada has been among Ukraine's most vocal supporters since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, committing more than C$25.5 billion in overall assistance, including C$8.5 billion in military aid.

Beyond air defence, Carney said Canada aims to scale up drone production to reach millions of units within the next two years, with a third of that output destined for Ukraine.

Canada is home to an estimated 1.3 to 1.4 million people of Ukrainian descent, one of the largest Ukrainian diasporas in the world.