Zelenskyy courts Canadian firms in Toronto on defence, energy and banking

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met representatives of Canadian businesses in Toronto on Friday to discuss cooperation in military technology, energy, agriculture and banking, his presidential office said.

Executives from several leading Canadian firms took part, including the Business Council of Canada, Aecon Group, AGI, AKA Energy Systems and the Alberta Investment Management Corporation. Zelenskyy thanked the companies and their executives for attending.

The meeting came a day after he arrived in Canada for talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney, part of a wider push to secure continued international backing as the war with Russia grinds on.

Ukraine is facing growing pressure from an intensified Russian air campaign that deploys ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to break through its defences. Moscow's strikes have hit the country's power grid ahead of winter, in what Ukrainian officials describe as an effort to wear down the civilian population.

Speaking at a press conference after Thursday's talks, Carney announced a package worth $254 million for critical air-defence interceptors for Ukraine, to be channelled through a United States mechanism. He also said Canada would offer more than $312 million in loan guarantees to help Kyiv purchase natural gas for the winter.

Carney added that Canada would keep supporting Ukraine after the fighting ends.