Canada has unveiled $4.3 billion in fresh assistance for Ukraine’s military and reconstruction efforts, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Tuesday during a bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
Of that total, $2 billion will fund the purchase and donation of drones, ammunition, armoured vehicles and other materiel—contributions that Ottawa will count toward its NATO defence‐spending commitments. “This underscores the importance of standing in total solidarity with Ukraine, with the Ukrainian people,” Carney said, emphasizing Canada’s determination to maintain maximum pressure on Russia.
In addition, Canada will lend Ukraine $2.3 billion to help rebuild critical infrastructure damaged by the conflict. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the loan will be repaid using interest accrued on Russian assets frozen in Europe.
Carney also revealed a new package of sanctions targeting 77 individuals, 39 entities and 201 vessels linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet”—ships employed to transport oil, gas and weapons in defiance of existing sanctions. “We intend to make Ukraine’s defence a central aspect of our discussions here,” he told G7 colleagues, including NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Zelenskyy, who described recent Russian strikes on Kyiv as the deadliest attack on the capital this year, with 12 civilians killed and more than 130 wounded, thanked Canada for its “timely and decisive support.” He reiterated Ukraine’s readiness for “peace negotiations [and an] unconditional ceasefire,” stressing that “for this we need pressure” on Moscow.
Earlier Tuesday, the U.K. likewise announced fresh measures against vessels ferrying Russian oil. Together, these steps signal a coordinated Western effort to bolster Ukraine’s defences while tightening the economic noose around Russia.
The G7 summit’s second and final day proceeded without U.S. President Donald Trump, who departed the talks early on Monday to address escalating Middle East violence. Remaining in Kananaskis to lead the U.S. delegation was Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant.
While en route back to Washington aboard Air Force One Monday evening, reporters asked President Trump whether he had discussed his earlier proposal to make Canada a U.S. state with any summit attendees. Trump replied, “I think it’s a much better deal for Canada, but you know, it’s up to them.”
He warned that, should Canada choose not to join the United States, Ottawa would face “a lot of tariffs and things.” Trump also claimed Canada would need to contribute $71 billion to take part in the “Iron Dome”, a reference, he said, to the Golden Dome missile-defense system he has suggested for America.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
