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From rocket engines to nuclear warheads, Canada announces new military aid to Ukraine – Firstpost

Posted on by angelo
From rocket engines to nuclear warheads, Canada announces new military aid to Ukraine – Firstpost

Canada announced its latest military aid package to Ukraine on Friday, including tens of thousands of rocket engines, some surplus nuclear warheads and the decommissioned chassis of nearly 100 armoured vehicles.

The announcement was made at the 24th meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, hosted at Ramstein Air Base in Germany by the US Secretary of Defense. Lloyd J. Austin III.

According to CBC NewsCanadian Defence Minister Bill Blair said an additional 80,840 rocket engines and 1,300 warheads would be sent to Ukraine via Poland in the coming months.

Canada will also donate the decommissioned chassis of 29 M113s and 64 VBL Coyotes, previously used by the Canadian military. These vehicles will be dismantled by the Ukrainians for spare parts, the report added.

It will also supply 960 C6 machine guns and 10,500 9mm pistols from its arsenal.

“Canada has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine! The package includes: 80,840 additional CRV-7 rocket engines, 1,300 CRV-7 warheads, 970 C6 machine guns, 10,500 9mm pistols, 29 decommissioned M113 chassis, 64 decommissioned Coyote LAV chassis, 50 ambulances,” Defense of Ukraine also posted on X, sharing details of the aid package.

Although several countries have donated M113 armoured personnel carriers to kyiv, maintenance remains a major concern.

Blair also announced details of Canada’s plan to help train F-16 pilots for Ukrainians — a $389 million investment from the federal government that will be spent over five years.

The funding was announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the NATO summit in Washington last July.

“Minister of @National Defense from Canada, @BillBlairannounced that this week, AFU pilots arrived in Canada to begin fighter pilot training (FLIT). Canada has taken over the lead of the coalition’s FLIT element for the UDCG’s air force capabilities, supported by a five-year, $389 million investment in F-16 pilot training for Ukrainian personnel,” Defense of Ukraine added.

“We are grateful to our Canadian friends for their unwavering support. Together, we are stronger!” the message read.

The announcement is the latest in a series of pledges from the federal government and coincides with a meeting of allied defense ministers in Ramstein, Germany, where they are reviewing military support for Ukraine.

Under political pressure from the Conservative opposition, the Liberal government agreed to donate its surplus CRV-7 air-to-ground rockets, tens of thousands of which are no longer used by the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The rockets, dating back to the 1980s, were previously stored and slated for disposal. The Department of National Defense said only the engines were in good enough condition to be donated, with more than 2,100 having already been shipped. CBC News.

At the same time, speaking at the meeting of allied defense ministers in Ramstein, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed concerns about the policies of Western partners and the pace of deliveries.

“I am grateful to all partners that the NATO summit in Washington was marked by decisions on air defense systems for Ukraine. However, many systems still need to be delivered,” The Guardian he quoted him as saying.

“Long-term capability. I am pleased that the United States, the United Kingdom and France are represented here. Thanks to our common courage, we have conducted very important operations, including in Crimea.

“These operations have allowed us to restore security in the Black Sea and our food exports. We now hear that your long-term policy has not changed, but we see changes in the Atacms, Storm Shadows and Scalps – a shortage of missiles and cooperation,” he added.

He again called for lifting restrictions on the use of Western long-range weapons to strike targets in Russia.

“This also applies to our territory occupied by Russia, including Crimea. We believe that such measures are unacceptable. We must have this long-term capability not only on the occupied territory of Ukraine, but also on Russian territory, so that Russia is motivated to seek peace,” the Ukrainian president added.

The meeting, taking place at the base southwest of Frankfurt, is being hosted by US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin, who announced that Washington would provide $250 million in additional military aid to Ukraine.

With contributions from agencies