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Canada, Ukraine Ink 100-Year Pact With Billions in Drone, Defense Aid
(MENAFN) Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a landmark declaration Thursday committing the two nations to a 100-year partnership, unveiled alongside a wave of new defense and reconstruction funding.
Speaking at a news conference in Calgary following the signing, Carney said the agreement looks well past the current war toward sustained long-term cooperation. "President Zelensky and I have just signed a declaration for 100-year partnership," he said, noting the countries will soon "codify a long-term framework for cooperation across defense and security, trade and investment, reconstruction, energy, critical minerals and technology."
Carney highlighted Calgary's deep Ukrainian ties, noting more than 350,000 Canadians of Ukrainian descent live in Alberta, 70,000 of them in Calgary, and pointed to local institutions like the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Calling the war a turning point, he said Ukraine is now "neutralizing aerial threats from more than 600 kilometers (373 miles) away, while Russia relies on authoritarian regimes to refuel its war machine."
Drones, he said, will anchor Canada's largest defense rebuild in 70 years, part of an effort to "build Canada strong, Canada safe, Canada secure." With the Canadian military currently fielding roughly 2,000 drones, Carney said, "In the years to come, we will need millions," pointing to the Defense Drone Initiative launched earlier this year to expand domestic production for the armed forces and Coast Guard.
He also announced a new national drone marketplace linking military units directly with nearly 400 Canadian suppliers, aiming to scale up to millions of units within two years. "Today's contracts will increase the number of drones available to the cap tenfold," he said.
Separately, Carney confirmed Canada and Ukraine finalized a deal to supply air-defense interceptors through the US Jumpstart mechanism — a "$350 million equipment package" meant to bolster Ukraine's defenses.
According to a statement from his office, the drone marketplace announcement formally establishes the Defence Drone Initiative Marketplace Supply Arrangement, a digital platform modeled on Ukraine's Brave1 system designed to speed procurement of uncrewed and counter-drone technology. Initial contracts worth up to $50 million were awarded, which officials say will increase deployed drone numbers tenfold as a first step toward the two-year, millions-of-units goal.
The two leaders also touted a new industrial partnership between General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada and Ukraine's Green Tech Harvest to co-develop drones, alongside nearly $23 million earmarked to counter hybrid threats and hundreds of millions in energy support ahead of winter. Canada further pledged up to $40.1 million for Ukrainian veterans and up to $6 million to help return deported Ukrainian children — bringing Canada's total commitments to Ukraine since 2022 above CAN$26 billion ($19 billion).
Speaking at a news conference in Calgary following the signing, Carney said the agreement looks well past the current war toward sustained long-term cooperation. "President Zelensky and I have just signed a declaration for 100-year partnership," he said, noting the countries will soon "codify a long-term framework for cooperation across defense and security, trade and investment, reconstruction, energy, critical minerals and technology."
Carney highlighted Calgary's deep Ukrainian ties, noting more than 350,000 Canadians of Ukrainian descent live in Alberta, 70,000 of them in Calgary, and pointed to local institutions like the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Calling the war a turning point, he said Ukraine is now "neutralizing aerial threats from more than 600 kilometers (373 miles) away, while Russia relies on authoritarian regimes to refuel its war machine."
Drones, he said, will anchor Canada's largest defense rebuild in 70 years, part of an effort to "build Canada strong, Canada safe, Canada secure." With the Canadian military currently fielding roughly 2,000 drones, Carney said, "In the years to come, we will need millions," pointing to the Defense Drone Initiative launched earlier this year to expand domestic production for the armed forces and Coast Guard.
He also announced a new national drone marketplace linking military units directly with nearly 400 Canadian suppliers, aiming to scale up to millions of units within two years. "Today's contracts will increase the number of drones available to the cap tenfold," he said.
Separately, Carney confirmed Canada and Ukraine finalized a deal to supply air-defense interceptors through the US Jumpstart mechanism — a "$350 million equipment package" meant to bolster Ukraine's defenses.
According to a statement from his office, the drone marketplace announcement formally establishes the Defence Drone Initiative Marketplace Supply Arrangement, a digital platform modeled on Ukraine's Brave1 system designed to speed procurement of uncrewed and counter-drone technology. Initial contracts worth up to $50 million were awarded, which officials say will increase deployed drone numbers tenfold as a first step toward the two-year, millions-of-units goal.
The two leaders also touted a new industrial partnership between General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada and Ukraine's Green Tech Harvest to co-develop drones, alongside nearly $23 million earmarked to counter hybrid threats and hundreds of millions in energy support ahead of winter. Canada further pledged up to $40.1 million for Ukrainian veterans and up to $6 million to help return deported Ukrainian children — bringing Canada's total commitments to Ukraine since 2022 above CAN$26 billion ($19 billion).
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