Defense Minister Anita Anand announced today that Canada will send 200 more armored vehicles to Ukraine to help defend the country against Russian aggression.
Anand announced the latest military aid to Ukraine worth $90 million during a surprise visit to Kyiv on January 18. This follows the donation of an American-made surface-to-air missile system. Anand announced It cost about $406 million on January 10th.
The Senator model of the armored vehicle is purchased from Roshel, based in Mississauga, Ontario. Canada previously sent eight of her senator armored personnel carriers, made by the same Rochelle, to Ukraine last spring.
“The Senator APC is a security mission vehicle, and we have repeatedly heard that the Ukrainian military appreciates its mobility and adaptability,” Anand said at a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, with his Ukrainian counterpart. Accompanied by Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, he told reporters.
“Vehicles also enable the safe transportation of personnel and equipment, as well as medical evacuation.”
$5 billion in aid
The aid is part of an additional $500 million in military aid to Ukraine announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in November 2022. Press release dated January 18Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the federal government has provided an estimated $5 billion in military, financial and humanitarian aid.
Reznikov praised Canada for providing more than $1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since February 2022. This includes the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) with associated munitions, 39 armored combat support vehicles, anti-tank weapons, and the M777 howitzer. Associated ammunition, according to the release.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister said the NASAMS air defense system is a top priority for defending the country against continued Russian missile attacks.
Additionally, Canada and its allies are debating whether to send tanks to Ukraine. Germany in particular is under pressure not only to send some of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, but to force other countries operating the same tanks to do the same.
Anand was also asked whether Canada, which owns 112 Leopard 2s in some configurations used by the CAF, would provide them to help Ukraine. In his meeting with Reznikov, Anand did not confirm whether Canada would provide some of its Leopard 2 tanks if Germany allowed them to be re-exported.
“This is certainly our top priority at the moment,” she later told reporters when asked to answer, adding that she will be discussing this at an upcoming defense contact group meeting she plans to attend in Germany on Jan. 20. He pointed out that the problem was raised.
CAF support
At a press conference on January 18, Anand was also asked about the government’s investment in the Canadian Armed Forces.
“We will continue to invest in the Canadian military while providing the support Ukraine needs to win this important war,” Anand said.
Anand was answering questions from reporters about whether Ottawa’s investment in the Canadian military was consistent with spending on providing military aid to foreign allies. 2017 Defense Policytitled “Strong, Secure, and Engaged,” she said would increase defense spending by 70% between 2017 and 2026.
Anand also pointed to Ottawa’s recent decision to purchase 88 new F-35 fighters over the next nine years.
She also said that military aid to Ukraine will continue.
“There is a price to help Ukraine, including with weapons and vehicles. The price of inaction is much higher. It will decide how,” said Anand.
“This is a war for Ukrainian democracy, but it is also a war for our own freedom,” she added.
Canadian Press contributed to this report.
Andrew Chen is a reporter for the Epoch Times based in Toronto.