Canada announces $50M more in taxpayer funding for Ukraine’s drone program

Canada is doling out another $50 million for Ukraine’s drone war chest, Defence Minister David McGuinty announced Tuesday

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Canada is doling out another $50 million for Ukraine’s drone war chest, Defence Minister David McGuinty announced Tuesday as he met with international allies to keep military aid flowing to Kyiv.

McGuinty made the announcement at the 32nd Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, which was co-hosted by Germany and the United Kingdom. The meeting brought together defence officials from more than 50 countries to coordinate support for Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.

The new funding will go toward the Drone Capability Coalition and builds on Canada’s previous $37-million commitment to the coalition.

McGuinty said the funding reflects Canada’s continued emphasis on multilateral defence cooperation.

“Canada remains steadfast in our commitment to Ukraine, but we cannot meet these challenges alone,” McGuinty said in a statement. “By working alongside our allies and partners through multilateral initiatives, we can address Ukraine’s most urgent needs and strengthen its defence capabilities.”

National Defence said the new funding complements other Canadian military contributions, including more than $296 million committed since 2022 for optical and infrared imaging and targeting systems. Of those systems, 140 units have already been delivered, with additional units expected in the coming months.

Canada will also continue donating surplus Canadian Armed Forces equipment, including AIM-7 and AIM-9 missile motors and associated components. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in early 2026.

During the meeting, McGuinty highlighted Canada’s $200-million contribution to a United States-sourced package of military equipment under NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List. That package, valued at roughly US$500 million, includes air-defence systems, ammunition and other priority capabilities requested by Ukraine.

The announcement follows Canada’s most recent funding commitments nearly two weeks ago, when Ottawa pledged an additional $235 million in combined military and security assistance to Ukraine during NATO meetings in Brussels.

That package included $200 million toward a NATO-coordinated equipment purchase and $35 million for non-lethal assistance under NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package.

Canada has committed nearly $22 billion in total assistance to Ukraine since February 2022, including more than $6.5 billion in military aid through 2029, according to the federal government.