Yesterday at 23:53
January 18, Minister of National Defense of Canada Anita Anand, heading a delegation, visited Kyiv and met with Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov.
The parties discussed promising areas of bilateral cooperation, strengthening the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and air and missile defense of our country.
The event was also attended by Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine Yulia Laputina, Deputy Ministers of Defense of Ukraine Oleksandr Polishchuk and Hanna Malyar, as well as Commander of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Major General Tetiana Ostashchenko.
Oleksii Reznikov thanked Anita Anand for her help in effectively repelling russia’s armed aggression, political and practical support in developing the capabilities of the Ukrainian army and Canada’s strong solidarity in this difficult time for the Ukrainian state.
The Minister of Defense expressed gratitude to Canada for more than USD 1 billion in military assistance provided to Ukraine since February 2022.
“I am pleased to welcome our great friend Anita Anand to Ukraine again. Today we had a productive conversation about the continued support of the people and the Government of Canada for Ukraine. Our common plan is to win this war. We are grateful to Canada for this new step and the recent decision to supply NASAMS air defense systems to protect Ukrainian skies from enemy missiles, and Senator highly mobile armored personnel vehicles to the Army. Canada’s contribution to help Ukraine is a contribution to our common victory over the russian enemy, which is waging war not only on Ukraine but on the entire democratic world,” emphasized Oleksii Reznikov.
As a reminder, Canada provides strong support of the defense capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In particular, even before the russian military invasion, Canada sent both non-lethal and lethal military aid to Ukraine worth tens of millions of dollars. And after russia launched a full-scale war, the Canadian people and government provided Ukrainian soldiers with protective gear, military equipment and weapons.
In addition, with the assistance of the Canadian side, training and education missions for Ukrainian servicemen under Operation UNIFIER will continue in 2022.
The Minister of National Defense of Canada noted the heroism of Ukrainian soldiers and assured that Canada would continue to support Ukraine in its struggle for independence and restoration of territorial integrity. Anita Anand said that as part of the new military assistance package, Canada would provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with 200 Senator armored vehicles from Roshel and other military assistance worth approximately CAD 90 million.
“It is an honor for me to come to Ukraine again, where I was a year ago. Back then I saw cheerful people who wanted to live in a free country and had plans for the future. For 10 months now, you have been fighting for democracy, freedom and justice – for the values we share together. On behalf of all Canadians, I express the ironclad support of the people of Ukraine. We will stand with you until victory. Canada has announced the next package of military assistance to Ukraine. This includes armored vehicles for personnel transportation and medical evacuation, training for your military, and air defense equipment. Friendly Canada is always with Ukraine, because Ukrainians inspire our people and the world with their heroism,” Anita Anand said.
Oleksii Reznikov commented that the announced package was very important for Ukraine, as the main priority is to protect the sky from missile attacks and liberate Ukrainian territories.
“Canada’s NASAMS is very much needed to protect the skies and civilians. russia is using terrorist tactics to destroy our critical infrastructure, cut off heat, water, and electricity supplies to our homes, and plunge us into cold and darkness. We all know about the latest tragedy in the city of Dnipro, where a russian missile killed more than 40 people. That is why we need the means to combat cruise and ballistic missiles, Iranian drones and all kinds of weapons that russians use against civilians. Other weapons from the aid package will also allow us to win on the battlefield and liberate our lands from the aggressor. I believe in our victory,” summarized Oleksii Reznikov.
Representatives of the Ministry of Defense of Canada visited the cities of Kyiv region that had suffered from Putin’s army, inspected the destroyed russian tanks and armored vehicles on Mykhailivska Square and honored the memory of fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
