Canada to join Drone Coalition for Ukraine

Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence of Canada, has committed to joining the international Drone Coalition led by Latvia and the United Kingdom during a visit by his Latvian counterpart, Andris Sprūds.

Source: statement from the Canadian government, quoted by European Pravda

It is noted that as a coalition member, Ottawa will continue to explore avenues for enhancing drone capabilities in Ukraine.

Quote: "To date, Canada has stepped up significantly to contribute to Ukraine’s drone capabilities by donating over 100 made-in-Canada, specialised drone cameras to Ukraine from L3 Wescam," the statement reads.

Background:

• On 20 February, Blair announced that Canada plans to transfer hundreds of modern combat drones worth almost CAD$100 million (about US$73 million) to Ukraine in the spring.
• On 7 March, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps announced the allocation of £325 million (about €380 million) to purchase over 10,000 drones for Ukraine’s Armed Forces during his visit to Kyiv.
• The UK and Latvia lead the international drone coalition, formed within the framework of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meetings.
• UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during a visit to Kyiv in January, announced that the UK would allocate £200 million to manufacture various drones for the Ukrainian military.

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