Canada sends drones to Ukraine

Kiev (dpa) — Canada will provide Ukraine with a large new arms package, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Sunday during a visit to Kiev, pledging armoured vehicles, drones, ammunition and medical supplies to bolster the country’s defence against Russia.

In a statement, the Canadian government said the package, which was first announced at the G7 summit in June and planned for delivery next month, was worth 2 billion Canadian dollars ($1.4 billion). Ukrainian media, however, put the value at 1 billion Canadian dollars.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Carney also indicated that Canadian troops could participate in securing a peace agreement with Russia.

Several countries have already agreed to station troops in the country to prevent renewed Russian aggression in the event of an agreement to end the war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has instead said that the veto powers of the UN Security Council, which include Russia, should secure the peace. Kiev has rejected this, as Moscow could block deployments at any time.

Zelensky sees strong Western military participation in any peacekeeping force as essential, while rejecting Russian involvement in any form.

Media reports said that Carney also stressed that Ukraine needed reliable guarantees and that Russian President Vladimir Putin could not be trusted.