Canada Considering Joint Weapons Production With Ukraine
Canada is actively considering partnering with Ukraine on the joint production of weapons and military equipment.
David McGuinty, Canada’s Minister of National Defence, stated this, as reported by Ukrinform.
“The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces are actively exploring this opportunity,” McGuinty said in response to a question about the potential involvement of Canadian companies in such cooperation.
In particular, he noted that Ukrainians had made significant progress in drone technology, “which we are watching very closely.”
According to McGuinty, one of the options being considered is cooperation based on the so-called “Danish model,” where military equipment would be produced in Ukraine using Canadian funding.
There is also the potential for establishing joint defense enterprises on the territory of both Ukraine and Canada.
“This could bring significant benefits to Canadian industry, which is why we are carefully examining which approach would be most effective,” the minister concluded.
Previously, Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine, Natalka Cmoc, noted that Canadian arms manufacturers had shown strong interest in cooperating with Ukraine.
“I know that the representatives of Canadian defense companies are attending various conferences in Ukraine. At the moment, Canada is hosting the CanSec event. Many representatives from Ukrainian defense companies are there, and I’ve seen the list of firms they hope to meet with. Ukrainians are coming to Canada with very clear objectives — they know exactly who they want to meet and which technologies they are interested in working with,” she said in an interview with Ukrinform.
Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Germany and Canada had agreed to fund the production of Ukrainian interceptor drones designed to counter Shahed drones.
Meanwhile, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that Canada was assisting Ukraine in modernizing helicopters to intercept Russian drones of that type.
In June, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth C$2 billion (approximately $1.5 billion). A portion of these funds will be allocated to support domestic defense production in Ukraine.
