Paris– Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, participated in the Conference in Support of Ukraine hosted by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, at the Élysée Palace in Paris, France. At the conference, Heads of State, Heads of Government, and their representatives reaffirmed their support for Ukraine in its fight for freedom, democracy, and sovereignty, and restated their condemnation of Russia’s illegal and full-scale invasion of Ukraine which it launched over two years ago.
In Paris, Minister Blair told allies and partners that Canada’s commitment to supporting Ukraine is steadfast. Two days ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the Agreement on security cooperation between Canada and Ukraine, a new, historic agreement that establishes a strategic security partnership between the two countries. The agreement outlines key, long-term security commitments for Canada to continue supporting Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity, protects its people, and rebuilds its economy for the future.
Canada will provide $3.02 billion in critical financial and military support to Ukraine in 2024. This brings Canada’s total commitment of aid to Ukraine since February 2022 to over $13.3 billion in funding – including $4 billion in military assistance. This includes recently-announced donations of over 800 drones, and funding to support Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jet capability. In addition, Canadian Armed Forces members are supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine under Operation UNIFIER, providing training on a range of military skills. Since 2015, the Canadian Armed Forces have trained more than 40,000 members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under this operation
The Conference in Support of Ukraine in Paris was Minister Blair’s final stop on a multi-day trip to Europe. On February 25, 2024, Minister Blair and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland visited a military base in Poland where Canadian Armed Forces and Polish Armed Forces members are working together to provide Ukrainian troops with life-saving combat medicine skills.
On February 24, 2024, Minister Blair accompanied Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Kyiv, Ukraine, to mark two years since Russia launched its illegal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In Kyiv, Minister Blair attended the signing of the Agreement on security cooperation between Canada and Ukraine, and met with the Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, Alexander Kamyshin. Minister Blair and Minister Kamyshin discussed how Canada can best address Ukraine’s most urgent defence needs, and Minister Blair reaffirmed that Canada will continue to provide Ukraine with comprehensive military assistance.
As Ukraine’s brave defenders fight back against Russia’s full-scale invasion, Canada stands with Ukraine.