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Canada’s Defence Minister Anita Anand is in Ukraine on a surprise visit and announced Wednesday more military support to help Kyiv respond to Russia’s invasion.
Anand said Ottawa will be donating an additional 200 Canadian-made armoured vehicles worth $90 million. The vehicles are being purchased from Roshel, a company based in Mississauga, Ont.
This is part of the additional $500 million in military aid for Ukraine announced by Prime Minister Trudeau in November 2022, a government statement said.
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On her visit to the capital, Anand also held a bilateral meeting with Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
“During today’s productive visit to Kyiv, I met with Ukrainian officials including my friend and colleague, Minister Reznikov, to learn about Ukraine’s most pressing security needs, and to reaffirm Canada’s steadfast support,” said Anand in a statement Wednesday.
“Today’s donation of 200 armoured vehicles demonstrates our continued commitment to the security of the Ukrainian people.”
Anand’s visit on Wednesday came as a deadly helicopter crash killed Ukraine’s interior minister and other top officials. However, there was no immediate word on whether the crash, which was near a kindergarten, was an accident or related to the war.
Since Russia launched its offensive in February 2022, Canada has pledged more than $1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine and imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Moscow.
In recent weeks, Russia has renewed its intense attacks on Ukraine in a war that is nearing the one-year mark.
Over the weekend, Ukraine suffered its deadliest attack on civilians at one location since last spring when a Russian missile struck an apartment building in the southeastern city of Dnipro, killing at least 45 people, including six children.
— with files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
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