Canada will donate tens of thousands of rocket engines, a small number of surplus warheads and about 100 decommissioned armored vehicle chassis to Ukraine as part of its latest military aid package.
Defence Minister Bill Blair also announced details Friday of Canada’s plans to fund training of Ukrainian F-16 pilots, a $389 million federal investment to be spent over five years. The funding was announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the NATO summit in Washington last July.
The announcement was the latest in a series of donations by the federal government and came as allied defense ministers met in Ramstein, Germany, to assess military support for the struggling eastern European nation.
The Liberal government is under political pressure from the opposition Conservative party to donate tens of thousands of surplus CRV-7 air-to-surface rockets that are no longer in use by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
The 1980s-era rockets have been in storage, awaiting disposal, and the Defense Ministry said only the motors are available for donation, with more than 2,100 already shipped.
Blair said on Friday that an additional 80,840 rocket engines and 1,300 warheads would be sent to Ukraine, via Poland, in the coming months.
The minister also announced that Canada would donate 29 decommissioned M113 and 64 Coyote LAV chassis formerly used by the Canadian Armed Forces, which will be further disassembled by the Ukrainian side and used as spare parts for the other donated vehicles.
Several countries have donated M113 armored personnel carriers to the Kiev government, but maintenance remains an ongoing concern.
Last spring, Oleksandra Ustinova, a senior member of Ukrainian parliament, pleaded with Blair, leading members of Duma committees and military leaders for more help, including a donation of decommissioned armoured vehicles.
She told CBC News at the time that she didn’t agree with the argument that old, broken-down light armored vehicles were not suitable for donation.
Ukrainian parliament member Oleksandra Ustinova says potential U.S. assistance will help Ukraine hold its own against Russia, but more help is still needed. Ustinova joins CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton to talk about her visit to Canada and Ukraine’s request.
“Ukrainians are ready to take any piece of junk, dismantle it and turn one in three pieces into a machine that can protect our soldiers,” said Ustinova, head of Ukraine’s special parliamentary committee on arms and ammunition.
Blair also spoke Friday about Canada’s decision to take over training for Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jets. After European nations donated several state-of-the-art fighter jets, the allies have begun a training program to put Ukrainian pilots in the cockpits of F-16s.
Blair said Canada’s aid package included advanced pilot training, critical equipment and other support for Ukraine’s air bases and aircraft.
Six F-16s have been spotted in the skies over Ukraine this summer, including one that recently crashed and was lost, killing its pilot.
