Ukraine’s long-standing pleas and prayers for advanced Western weapons begin to be answered when Canada announced Thursday that it plans to send dozens of new armored personnel carriers to the assaulted country.
It is part of a global push by NATO, which has said it will help the Eastern European country become a modern military team.
At the end of the NATO summit in Madrid, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada is working to finalize an agreement to provide Ukraine with 39 armored combat support vehicles (ACSVs). They had been assigned to the Canadian Army and were in the process of being handed over, but will instead be diverted.
In addition, Ukrainians will get six additional high-resolution cameras for use in their highly effective Turkish-built Bayraktar drones, which have been praised for their accuracy in removing Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers.
The agreement to provide armored support vehicles, which are intended exclusively for the transport of troops, will include an in-service support package and will be provided by the manufacturer General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, based in London, Ont. They are different from infantry fighting vehicles, which come equipped with a turret and a 25mm cannon.
The Canadian military had ordered 360 of the armored support vehicles and a senior government official, speaking on the background before the announcement, said there was a commitment to replace what is being withdrawn from the stock market. ‘army.
The source said the vehicles are expected to be in service with Ukrainian troops this summer, after some training.
The latest equipment donation will effectively deplete the $ 500 million the Liberal government set aside for military equipment to support Ukraine.
The announcement comes a day after it was announced that Canada had signed an agreement with Latvia to help strengthen the NATO battle group in the Baltic country to bring it to the size of the brigade, as ordered the leaders of the alliance.
Trudeau said that decision will involve the commitment of additional Canadian troops.
NATO promises to strengthen Ukraine’s military supplies
He was part of a series of historic decisions taken during a two-day summit of Western military alliance leaders in Madrid.
“An independent and strong Ukraine is vital to the stability of the Euro-Atlantic area,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the media on Wednesday afternoon.
His statements came after what was a sensational video aimed at the leaders of the alliance of Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky, whose country has been trying to join NATO for more than a dozen years.
NATO Military Committee Chairman Admiral Rob Bauer, right, talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the start of the session during the NATO summit this Thursday in Madrid. The alliance has agreed to arm Ukraine with more modern military equipment. (Christophe Ena / The Associated Press)
He asked them: Ukraine “has not paid enough” to join the alliance? His statements came on the same day that Finland and Sweden set out on the fast track to join the alliance.
“We will help Ukraine move from Soviet-era equipment to modern NATO equipment, increase interoperability, and strengthen its defense and security institutions,” Stoltenberg said.
Ukraine has lost tanks, armored personnel carriers
CBC News has learned that NATO planners and U.S. officials are studying how to switch Ukrainians to the modern battle tanks of the old Soviet-style T-72s and T-80s they have been fighting with.
An older Russian model T-72 tank is burned and destroyed in the village of Biskvitne, east of Kharkiv. Shipwrecked in fighting with Ukrainian troops, who recaptured the area in April 2022. (Murray Brewster / CBC)
While the Ukrainians will not confirm the figure, defense experts estimate that just under half of Ukraine’s tank force has been lost in combat, along with two-thirds of its armored personnel carriers.
In addition, there have been reports suggesting that the US has purchased a modern advanced national surface-to-air missile system for Ukraine, similar to the one already protecting the US capital.
It would increase Ukraine’s ability to protect its skies from Russian aircraft and cruise missiles.
The country currently uses older Soviet-built systems, such as the S-300 long-range missile batteries.
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Canada will add troops as NATO increases its European presence
Canada will increase the number of its troops in Latvia as NATO increases its presence in Europe and the US sends ships to Spain.