Canada to Provide Additional $50 Million to Buy Drones for Ukraine

Canada will provide an additional $50 million to purchase military drones and drone parts for Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia since 2022.

Defence Minister David McGuinty announced the new funding at the 32nd Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, co-hosted by Germany and the United Kingdom, on Dec. 16. More than 50 countries attended the virtual meeting to “discuss Ukraine’s urgent requirements and progress on key multilateral initiatives,” the defence department said in a Dec. 16 release.

McGuinty said Canada will provide the additional $50 million to the Drone Capability Coalition (DCC), which builds on Canada’s previous contributions of $37 million. The DCC is one of four capability coalitions Canada contributes to under the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. The other three include the Air Force Coalition, the Armor Capability Coalition, and the Information Technology Capability Coalition.

The DCC aims to ensure Ukraine has a stable supply of drones and drone parts, support drone manufacturing in the West, and promote unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities.

Drones have been increasingly used in the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine has increased its attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure using a combination of drones and missiles, while Russia has upgraded and ramped up production of its main attack drone, according to a Nov. 10 post by the think tank Chatham House.

Canada will also continue to provide Ukraine with surplus Canadian Armed Forces equipment, including AIM-7 and AIM-9 motors and ancillaries, with deliveries beginning early next year, the defence department says.

Earlier this month, Canada also provided $200 million to purchase a U.S.-sourced package of critical military capabilities under NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) in partnership with NATO allies. The package is said to be valued at roughly US$500 million and delivers air defence systems, ammunition, and other priority capabilities identified by Ukraine.

The PURL initiative was launched in August and aims to address Ukraine’s most urgent military needs by sourcing critical capabilities that the United States can provide in greater volumes than Europe and Canada alone, the defence department said in a Dec. 3 news release. Canada had also contributed $892 million in PURL in August.

In total, Canada has committed nearly $22 billion in aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of Kyiv in February 2022. Canada’s aid contributions have included more than $6.5 billion in military assistance.

Canada’s previous military contributions to Ukraine have included battle tanks, armoured vehicles, cameras, drones, missiles, satellite imagery and communications, artillery systems and ammunition, medical supplies, winter clothing, and other high-priority equipment, the defence department says.

The new aid is arriving as the U.S. has presented Ukraine with a peace plan that contains aspects that have sparked controversy, including that Ukraine will cede certain regions to Russia.

Meanwhile, Ukraine presented the United States with a revised peace plan on Dec. 10, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noting that the issue of territory remains a major sticking point in the negotiations with Washington over the proposed plan.

Kyiv’s top negotiator said on Dec. 15 that “real progress” had been achieved with the U.S. delegation in Berlin during the second round of peace talks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Victoria Friedman contributed to this report.