Photo courtesy of Anadolu
Canada and Ukraine have signed a declaration laying the groundwork for a century-long partnership covering defense, trade, reconstruction, energy, critical minerals and technology, as both countries deepen cooperation beyond the current war.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the declaration Thursday in Calgary, where Carney said the two governments would work in the coming months to turn the agreement into a formal long-term framework.
The pact is intended to extend bilateral cooperation well beyond wartime assistance, with both sides identifying security, investment, rebuilding and emerging technologies as key areas for future collaboration.
Carney also used the meeting to highlight Canada’s plans to sharply expand drone production, saying the country’s armed forces would eventually need millions of uncrewed systems as part of its biggest defense buildup in decades.
Canada launched a national drone marketplace designed to connect military units with nearly 400 domestic suppliers and speed up the purchase and deployment of drone and counter-drone technology.
The government said initial contracts worth up to CAN$50 million are expected to increase the number of drones available to the Canadian Armed Forces tenfold, with a longer-term goal of developing capacity to manufacture millions of units within two years.
Canada and Ukraine also finalized a package worth about $350 million for air defense interceptors through a US-backed mechanism, while Ottawa announced additional funding for hybrid-threat response, energy support, Ukrainian veterans and efforts to return deported Ukrainian children.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Canada has committed more than CAN$26 billion in military, financial, humanitarian and other assistance to Ukraine, while the new declaration signals an effort to anchor the relationship in postwar reconstruction and long-term strategic cooperation.