 "Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair. Reuters File")
Canada on Friday announced it latest military aid package for Ukraine, comprising tens of thousands of rocket motors, a few surplus warheads, and the decommissioned chassis of nearly 100 armored vehicles.
The announcement was made at the at the 24th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany hosted by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III.
According to CBC News, Canada Defence Minister Bill Blair said that an additional 80,840 rocket motors and 1,300 warheads will be sent to Ukraine through Poland in the coming months.
Canada will also donate the decommissioned chassis from 29 M113s and 64 Coyote LAVs, previously used by the Canadian Army. These vehicles will be dismantled by Ukrainians for spare parts, added the report.
It will also provide 960 C6 machine guns and 10,500 9mm pistols from its arsenal.
“Canada announced a new military aid package for Ukraine! The package includes:◾️80,840 additional CRV-7 rocket motors ◾️1,300 CRV-7 warheads◾️970 C6 machine guns◾️10,500 9mm pistols◾️29 M113s decommissioned chassis ◾️64 Coyote LAVs decommissioned chassis ◾️50 ambulances,” Defense of Ukraine also posted on X, sharing the details of the aid package.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsWhile several countries have donated M113 armored personnel carriers to Kyiv, maintenance remains a significant concern.
Blair also announced details of Canada’s plan to contribute to F-16 pilot training for the Ukrainians — a $389 million investment by the federal government that will be spent over five years.
The funding was announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the NATO summit in Washington last July.
“Minister of @NationalDefence of Canada, @BillBlair, announced that this week, AFU pilots arrived in Canada to begin fighter-lead-in-training (FLIT). Canada has taken over leadership of the FLIT element of the UDCG Air Force Capability Coalition, backed by an investment of $389 million over five years in F-16 pilot training for Ukrainian personnel,” Defense of Ukraine added.
“We are grateful to our Canadian friends for their unwavering support. Together, we are stronger!” the post further said.
This announcement is the latest in a series of donation pledges by the federal government and coincides with a meeting of allied defence ministers in Ramstein, Germany, where they are reviewing military support for Ukraine.
Under political pressure from the Opposition Conservatives, the Liberal government has agreed to donate surplus CRV-7 air-to-surface rockets, of which tens of thousands are no longer used by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
These rockets, dating from the 1980s, were previously in storage and set for disposal. The Department of National Defence has stated that only the motors were in sufficient condition for donation, with over 2,100 already shipped, reported CBC News.
Meanwhile, addressing the meeting of allied defence ministers in Ramstein, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised concerns about western partners’ policies and the pace of deliveries.
“I’m grateful to all partners for the fact that the Nato summit in Washington was marked by decisions on air defence systems for Ukraine. However, many systems have yet to be delivered,” The Guardian quoted him as saying.
“Long-range capability. I’m glad that the US, the UK, and France are represented here. Thanks to our joint courage, we have implemented very important operations, in particular in Crimea.
“These operations allowed us to return security to the Black Sea and our food exports. Now we hear that your long-range policy has not changed, but we see changes in the Atacms, Storm Shadows and Scalps – a shortage of missiles and cooperation,” he added
He again called for restrictions on the use of long-range Western weapons to hit targets inside Russia to be lifted.
“This applies even to our territory, which is occupied by Russia, including Crimea. We think it is wrong that there are such steps. We need to have this long-range capability not only on the occupied territory of Ukraine, but also on the Russian territory, so that Russia is motivated to seek peace,” added the Ukrainian President.
The meeting at the base southwest of Frankfurt is being hosted by US defence chief Lloyd Austin, who announced that Washington will provide $250 million in new military aid for Ukraine.
With inputs from agencies