Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Canada would provide Ukraine with a "very important" air defense package. The announcement came during his visit to Canada for talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian officials.
Zelenskyy and Carney said that Canada had pledged to help shore up Ukraine's air defense. "Earlier today, Canada and Ukraine finalized an agreement to deliver critical air defense interceptors (through) the United States Jumpstart mechanism," Carney said. He said that the package would amount to some 350 million Canadian dollars ($260 million, €218 million).
The prime minister said that Canada had provided the equivalent of 26 billion Canadian dollars ($19 billion, €16 billion) in support for Ukraine. "We've provided support for the energy systems and beyond. We'll provide more support," he said.
Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for what he described as a "very important" air defense package. "I'm so thankful," Zelenskyy said. "This is very important package of air defense and this is crucial."
Speaking ahead of his meeting with Zelenskyy, Carney also emphasized Ukrainians' historical role in contributing to European settlement in the prairies of Canada's western provinces. "Ukrainians help build this province, this country. Canada will help rebuild Ukraine when peace comes," he said, referring to Alberta, of which Calgary is the largest city. Canada is home to over a million people of Ukrainian descent.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Calgary late on Wednesday for "important meetings and agreements" with Canadian officials. His visit comes on the heels of his attendance at King Harald V's funeral in Norway, where his plane had been delayed by a drone incursion. The Ukrainian leader is in the middle of a flurry of trips and meetings to shore up his country's defenses for the cold winter months.
"The main focus will be on supporting Ukraine in protecting our skies and preparing for the winter," Zelenskyy said in a social media post before leaving. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement that the visit "will focus on shared priorities between Canada and Ukraine, including deepening defense, economic, and energy cooperation." Carney's statement added Canada "remains steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine's defense, recovery, and reconstruction."
Zelenskyy had also signaled a desire to meet with US President Donald Trump on the matter before the end of September. Since Russia's invasion in 2022, Moscow has consistently increased attacks on fuel and heating infrastructure in Ukraine in the autumn and winter. Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery in the Yamalo-Nenets region overnight, as well as a seaport in Dagestan, Zelenskyy said. He added that other unnamed sites critical to Russia's war industry had also been hit.
Alexander Gusev, governor of Russia's Voronezh region, said that one woman in the town of Borisoglebsk had been killed by falling drone debris overnight and that at least 19 drones had been destroyed while flying over the region. The Russian Defense Ministry said a total of 448 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight. In Ukraine, Russian attacks hit buildings owned by a major food producer in Dnipro, killing at least two according to local officials. Two Azerbaijani crew members were killed in a drone attack on a cargo ship in the Ukrainian region of Odesa, Ukraine's infrastructure ministry said. Azerbaijan's foreign ministry also confirmed the information, adding that two further members of the crew were taken to hospital in Chornomorsk, Ukraine. While Baku did not mention who was responsible for the attack, Ukraine blamed Russia for the drone strike.
Source: www.dw.com