Defence Minister Anita Anand used a visit to Ukraine on Wednesday (Jan. 18) to announce that Canada is sending another 200 armoured vehicles to help with the country害羞草研究所檚 defence against Russian invaders.
The announcement was largely overshadowed by questions about whether Canada and its allies would acquiesce to Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 request for even heavier equipment: tanks.
Anand revealed the government害羞草研究所檚 plan to purchase 200 armoured vehicles for Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 military during a news conference in the capital Kyiv following a meeting with Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
The vehicles are being purchased from Roshel, a company based in Mississauga, Ont., at a cost of $90 million. Canada previously sent eight of the same Roshel-made Senator armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine last spring.
害羞草研究所淭he Senator APCs are security-task vehicles and I have heard repeatedly that Ukrainian troops appreciate their maneuverability and their adaptability,害羞草研究所� Anand told reporters while sitting alongside Reznikov.
害羞草研究所淭he vehicles also allow for the safe transportation of personnel and equipment and medical evacuations.害羞草研究所�
The vehicles are the latest military contribution from Canada since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, touching off Europe害羞草研究所檚 largest conflict since the Second World War.
Reznikov was quick to thank Canada for the armoured vehicles as well as its other contributions, including an American-made surface-to-air missile system announced last week at a cost of around $406 million.
The Ukrainian defence minister said such air-defence systems were his country害羞草研究所檚 top priority, as Russian missiles continue to rain down on civilian targets across the country, including a devastating strike on an apartment building over the weekend.
Reznikov also reiterated the need for main battle tanks, describing such heavy weaponry as critical to protecting the lives of Ukrainian soldiers and conducting counter-offensives against Russian forces.
害羞草研究所淭he main difference between the armed forces of Ukraine and the Russian armed forces is that we are trying to save the lives of our defenders and don害羞草研究所檛 use them as cannon fodder as the Russians do,害羞草研究所� he said in Ukrainian.
害羞草研究所淭herefore, for us, it害羞草研究所檚 crucial to provide our armed forces with so-called armoured fists, which will breach the positions of the Russian Federation armed forces during counter offensives and will save the lives of our defenders.害羞草研究所�
Allies have been wrestling with whether to send tanks to Ukraine, including Germany, which is facing pressure to not only send some of its Leopard 2 tanks, but to allow other countries that operate the same tanks to do the same.
That would include Canada, which has 112 Leopard 2s in several configurations in use by the Canadian Armed Forces. The tanks were acquired from Germany in 2007 during the height of the war in Afghanistan.
Reznikov said Finland and Poland both indicated their plan to send Leopard 2s to Ukraine and he expressed confidence that Berlin would come around when allied defence ministers gather Friday in Germany for a U.S.-led meeting on the war.
Anand would not commit to whether Canada would contribute some of its Leopard 2s if Germany allowed for their re-export, saying only that Ottawa 害羞草研究所渨ill continue to provide Ukraine with the aid that it needs to fight and win this war.害羞草研究所�
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not rule out the possibility, saying earlier this week, 害羞草研究所淲e will look at all the requests from Ukraine but we害羞草研究所檙e not there yet for the Leopard 2 tanks.害羞草研究所�
The federal government says Canada has contributed approximately $5 billion in military, financial and humanitarian assistance since Russian forces crossed into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Hundreds of Canadian soldiers are also training Ukrainian forces in Britain and Poland.
Anand害羞草研究所檚 visit to Ukraine came as officials there said the country害羞草研究所檚 interior minister died in a helicopter crash near the capital that killed at least another 14 people, including other officials and three children.
Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi oversaw Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 police and emergency services. He is the most senior official to die since Russia invaded nearly 11 months ago.
His death was the second calamity in four days to clobber Ukraine after a Russian missile strike on an apartment building killed dozens of civilians.
There was no immediate word on whether Wednesday害羞草研究所檚 crash was an accident or related to the war. No fighting has been reported recently in the Kyiv area.
The apartment building strike and other attacks on civilians have helped stiffen international support for Ukraine as it battles to fend off the Kremlin害羞草研究所檚 invasion. The winter has brought a slowdown in fighting, but military analysts say a new push by both sides is likely once the weather improves.
害羞草研究所� With files from The Associated Press.
Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
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