Defence Minister Bill Blair commits $440 million in military assistance to Ukraine
News release
January 9, 2025 – Ramstein Air Base – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Today, at the 25th Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, announced $440 million in military assistance to Ukraine.
Ammunition remains one of Ukraine’s highest priorities and today’s announcement includes the contribution of $200 million to Czechia’s initiative to procure and deliver large-calibre ammunition for Ukraine. This contribution comes in addition to over $53 million announced last year for the Czech initiative, which has already provided approximately 11,500 rounds of large-calibre ammunition to Ukraine. An additional $50 million will also be made available for procurement of various calibres of ammunition from Canadian industry.
Minister Blair also committed $100 million to the Danish Model to support the production of military drones by Ukraine’s domestic defence industry. Drones have become critical in this conflict and Ukraine’s defence industry is excelling in innovation and experimentation in this field. This contribution builds upon the $3 million that Canada donated in April 2024 to this initiative, and the donation of 900 Canadian-built SkyRanger drones from Teledyne FLIR in Waterloo, Ontario—560 of which have already been delivered to Ukraine.
In addition, Minister Blair announced the donation of:
- $30 million for winter gear, including sleeping bags, winter boots and thermal layers. Several tranches of this donation were delivered to Ukraine in December 2024;
- $64 million worth of high-resolution drone cameras, that were delivered to Ukraine in November and December 2024;
The donations announced today are part of the additional $500 million in military assistance to Ukraine announced at the 2024 NATO Summit, and the $1.6 billion announced in Budget 2024. This brings the total value of Canadian military assistance to $4.5 billion since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
Minister Blair also provided an update on the ongoing military assistance to Ukraine:
- a batch of approximately 1,300 CRV-7 rocket warheads was delivered in December 2024, following a delivery of over 2,000 CRV-7 rocket motors in September 2024;
- the first deliveries of Armoured Combat Support Vehicles arrived in the fall of 2024 and all training has been completed. Forty additional vehicles will be delivered between May and December 2025.
Quotes
“The military assistance announced today provides Ukrainians with resources needed to resist Russian aggression. The UDCG, through the leadership of Secretary Austin, has been vital in ensuring that the military aid we’re collectively providing Ukraine is comprehensive, well-coordinated, and meets the country’s most pressing needs. Canada remains strongly committed to working with our Allies and partners to support Ukraine until victory.”
- The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence
Quick facts
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Since February 2022, Canada has committed over $19.5 billion in total assistance to Ukraine, including $4.5 billion in military assistance. This includes multi-mission drones, armoured combat support vehicles, anti-tank weapons, small arms, M777 howitzers and associated ammunition.
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Canada is allocating up to $389 million to enhance F-16 pilot training through the UDCG’s Air Force Capability Coalition. This commitment will support training for pilots in the AFU and provide critical equipment to support Ukraine’s safe operation of F-16s.
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Since the launch of Operation UNIFIER, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has trained more than 43,000 members of the AFU, more than 10,000 of whom have been trained in various locations across Europe following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Canada has announced the extension of this mission until March 2026 so the CAF can continue to respond to Ukraine’s training needs.
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Canada continues to train AFU members under Operation UNIFIER, with approximately 350 CAF members currently deployed in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Latvia in various roles.
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These donations are all Ukraine-identified priorities that have been validated by the UDCG and the International Donor Coordination Centre. They further demonstrate Canada’s strong commitment, along with its Allies, in supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s unjustifiable war.
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Canada is currently a member of the UDCG’s Armour, Air Force, Drone, and Information Technology capability coalitions.
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The UDCG was created by the US Secretary of Defense in April 2022 to allow Allies and partners to synchronize donations, consult and coordinate military assistance to Ukraine, and build up the capabilities of the AFU. The UDCG now comprises more than 50 countries.
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Since late March 2022, the Royal Canadian Air Force has transported over 24 million pounds of Ukraine-bound military aid donated by Canada, Allies, and partners.
Associated links
Contacts
Andrew Green
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of National Defence
Email: andrew.green@forces.gc.ca
Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-904-3333
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca
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