Canada and Ukraine Sign 100-Year Bilateral Partnership Agreement
Hamilton, Canada (ANTARA) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a long-term bilateral partnership agreement for 10/100 years on Thursday (10/9).
During a press conference in Calgary following the signing ceremony, Carney stated that the agreement reaffirms the commitment to a long-term partnership that will endure even after the war in Ukraine concludes.
“President Zelenskyy and I have signed a 100-year partnership declaration,” he said, adding that both nations will “codify a long-term framework for partnership in defence and security, trade and investment, reconstruction, energy, critical minerals, and technology.”
He further highlighted the ties between Ukraine and the City of Calgary, noting that 70,000 Canadian citizens of Ukrainian descent reside in the city, while over 350,000 people of Ukrainian descent live in the province of Alberta.
The Canadian Prime Minister also pointed to various companies and innovation institutions in the city, such as the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Describing the war in Ukraine as being at a turning point, Carney remarked that Ukraine can currently “neutralise aerial threats from distances of over 600 kilometres, while Russia can only rely on authoritarian regimes to fuel its war machine.”
Carney identified drones as the most vital element in the future development of Canadian weaponry, noting it would be the largest expansion in 70 years, in an effort to “build a strong, safe, and protected Canada.”
The Canadian Prime Minister stated that his country currently possesses 2,000 drone units, but “in the coming years, we will need millions.”
He noted that his administration launched the Defence Drone Initiative earlier this year to expand domestic drone production for the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard.
Carney also announced a national drone marketplace connecting military units with nearly 400 domestic suppliers to build production capacity for millions of units within two years.
“Today’s contract will increase the number of available drones tenfold,” he said.
Furthermore, he stated that Canada and Ukraine have agreed on the procurement of air interceptor systems through the US-led “Jumpstart” mechanism, which includes the procurement of defence installations worth US$350 million to protect Ukraine.
The announcement of the national drone marketplace marks the launch of the Marketplace Supply Arrangement for the Defence Drone Initiative, a national digital platform modeled after Ukraine’s Brave1 system to accelerate the procurement and deployment of unmanned and anti-drone technology for the Canadian military.
According to a statement from the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office, the federal government has established an initial contract worth CAD 50 million to increase the number of drones for the armed forces tenfold.
This policy is the first step towards building production capacity to reach millions of units within two years.
Additionally, the two leaders highlighted a new partnership between General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada and Ukraine’s Green Tech Harvest to develop and produce drones.
Further commitments include CAD 23 million to strengthen defences against cyber threats in Ukraine, alongside energy support worth hundreds of millions of dollars ahead of the winter season.
The statement also outlined Canada’s commitment to provide up to CAD 40.1 million for Ukrainian veterans and CAD 6 million to assist in the repatriation of deported Ukrainian children. With these commitments, Canada’s total financial aid to Ukraine from 2022 to the present has reached CAD 26 billion (approximately IDR 330 trillion).