Canada to help Ukraine by buying US missile defence system
Key takeaways:
- PMO reveals President Biden will be in Canada in March.
- The announcement came during Tuesday’s North American Leaders’ Conference in Mexico City.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has declared that Canada will purchase a U.S.-made projectile defence system for Ukraine and will greet US President Joe Biden for a visit in March.
The report arrived during the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City on Tuesday, following a conference between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Biden.
Canada to help Ukraine in strengthening its defence:
A PMO readout of the summit said Trudeau told Biden that Canada would buy a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) for Ukraine.
The Department of National Defence (DND) authorised the purchase in a press release later Tuesday.
“Canada’s NASAMS grant will allow Ukraine to bolster its air defence systems against deadly air attacks on military areas, vital civilian infrastructure and population centres,” DND said in the press release.
The report said the donation would cost about $406 million and come from $500 million in assistance to Ukraine, which Trudeau declared in November 2022. The release did not specify when the system would arrive in Ukraine.
In a discussion airing Tuesday on CBC’s Power & Politics, Defence Minister Anita Anand told guest host Catherine Cullen the country is “working with the United States to bring it to Ukraine as soon as possible.”
“All alternatives will always be on the table regarding our support for Ukraine,” Anand stated.
The missile defence system was organised and developed together by the American defence firm Raytheon and Norway-based Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has requested for air defence systems in his pleas for military help.
Zelenskyy thanked Trudeau for the assistance in a tweet Tuesday.
