Carney Pledges Air Defence, Ukraine Rebuildment to Zelensky — SkimNews
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- Zelensky praised Canada for a "very important package of air defence," calling it "a big deficit in the world," ahead of a formal announcement he said he would not "spoil."
- Carney pledged Canada will "help rebuild Ukraine when peace comes" and affirmed support for Ukraine's path to joining NATO and the European Union, saying "Ukraine's future is for Ukrainians only to decide."
- Canada has committed $6.5-billion in military assistance to Ukraine running through 2029, with the Kiel Institute ranking it the 4th most generous donor in raw dollars and 12th by GDP.
- The leaders' talks covered preparations for winter and the prospect of further Russian strikes on critical infrastructure; Zelensky was later set to address federal cabinet members gathered in Banff, Alta.
- Zelensky faces mounting domestic pressure — his 2019-elected government cannot call elections under a constitutional ban during martial law, and in July he fired both his defence minister and military chief after days of protests amid corruption accusations.
- Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand will co-host a Toronto summit later this month focused on the return of Ukrainian children and prisoners of war.
Why it matters: Carney's Calgary commitments lock Canada into a $6.5-billion multi-year military pipeline through 2029 and a post-war reconstruction role at the precise moment Ukraine's air defence shortfall is being tested by intensified Russian strikes ahead of winter — while Zelensky arrives in Canada unable to hold elections at home and having purged his top military leadership in July over corruption.
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