Canada has announced more support for Ukraine amid the country’s ongoing invasion by Russia.
Up to 225 Canadian military personnel will be deployed to the United Kingdom to help train new Ukrainian recruits.
Defence Minister Anita Anand announced the new development during a news conference on Thursday.
“When we paused our military training and capacity-building operations in Ukraine under Operation Unifier in early February, I made a commitment to resume these operations whenever and wherever possible,” said Anand.
The first cohort of Canadian Armed Forces personnel will depart for the UK from Edmonton next week, she said.
Anand said the “ongoing, illegal and unjustified full-scale invasion” of Ukraine is coming at a massive cost to ordinary people, to Ukraine’s economy, and to global stability.
“It is a direct attack on the rules-based international order that has enabled peace, stability and prosperity in Europe for decades. No one understands the immense cost of this war better than our Ukrainian friends,” she said.
Anand also announced on Thursday that the federal government has supplied an agreement with Ontario-based General Dynamics Land Systems to supply 39 armoured combat support vehicles to Ukraine.
The vehicles will be equipped with state-of-the-art armour, machines guns and ammunition, she said.
“These vehicles will be delivered straight off the assembly line to address some of Ukraine’s most pressing battlefield needs,” said Anand.
The company expects the first vehicles will be delivered to Europe “in the coming weeks,” she said.
Anand said Canada is taking an “all hands on deck” approach in support for Ukraine, adding that our country’s support will not waver.
“Our adversaries are watching us closely, eager to see cracks in our solidarity, hoping for signs of disunity,” she said.
“They may think that the NATO alliance can be divided, but we are more united than ever in our support of Ukraine. The resumption of Operation Unifier is just one more example of this support.”
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