Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday January 10 the purchase from the United States of an anti-aircraft defense system with a view to giving it to Ukraine.
This is the first NASAMS anti-aircraft system that Canada offers to Ukraine, said Ottawa, which assesses the value of this gift at 406 million Canadian dollars (282 million euros).
The announcement was made after a bilateral meeting between Justin Trudeau and US President Joe Biden in Mexico City.
This defense system is intended to counter the massive Russian bombardments targeting Ukrainian critical infrastructure.
“It's the number one priority.
This is why Canada is buying an advanced surface-to-air missile system from the United States to donate it to Ukraine,” explained Anita Anand, the Canadian Minister of Defense, after talking with her Ukrainian counterpart.
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“Protect our skies”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the gesture in stride.
“Thank you for helping us protect our skies.
The NASAMS that Canada has procured for us will be a solid shield for our cities and our citizens,” he said on Twitter.
This missile system is in addition to the armour, howitzers, winter clothing and ammunition that Canada provided to Ukraine to help repel the Russian invasion.
Several other countries have already supplied anti-aircraft systems to kyiv, such as the United States, Norway, Spain, Germany and France.