Toronto: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday met with Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal. During a meeting with the Ukraine Prime Minister, Trudeau reiterated Canada’s solidarity with and support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal, full-scale invasion.
During the visit, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that Canada will provide additional military aid to Ukraine sourced from Colt Canada.
Prime Minister Trudeau also announced Canada has disbursed a $2.4-billion loan to the Government of Ukraine to support essential services, such as pension payments, purchasing fuel, and restoring damaged energy infrastructure.
In a press release, the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) said this funding, announced in Budget 2023, brings Canada’s total commitment to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s invasion to over $8 billion.
During the visit, both leaders focused on efforts to rebuild Ukraine, including by hosting Canadian business leaders to discuss opportunities for Canadian trade and investment in Ukraine, particularly the essential role that private sector investment will play in Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction.
To strengthen trade ties and help support Ukraine’s economic recovery, Prime Minister Trudeau and Prime Minister Shmyhal signed a joint declaration on the conclusion of negotiations for the modernization of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA), and underscored the need to complete the processes to implement it as quickly as possible.
The PMO said to maintain pressure on the Russian regime, Prime Minister Trudeau announced new sanctions targeting 14 Russian individuals and 34 entities complicit in Russia’s war in Ukraine, including several security targets linked to the Wagner Group and Russia’s aviation sector.
In addition, to further pressure Putin’s enablers in Belarus, the Prime Minister also announced additional sanctions on nine entities related to the Belarusian financial sector.
The PMO said since January 2022, Canada has committed more than $8 billion in funding for financial, military, humanitarian, development, and immigration assistance to Ukraine.
“The funding includes over $5 billion in financial assistance; over $1 billion in military support; $352.5 million in humanitarian assistance; $127 million in development assistance; and over $102 million in security and stabilization assistance. The new military assistance package includes 21,000 5.56mm assault rifles, 38 7.62mm machine guns, and over 2.4 million rounds of ammunition to support these weapons as well as small arms already in use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This donation comes from the remaining funds across the Government of Canada’s various funding envelopes for military assistance to Ukraine,” the Prime Minister announced during his meeting with Ukraine’s Prime Minister.