Canada and Ukraine have signed a series of agreements aimed at deepening cooperation over the next century, with a heavy emphasis on defence manufacturing, energy support and trade ties.
The announcements were made in Calgary on Thursday, where Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled industry alliances and non-binding agreements alongside visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Carney described the relationship between the two countries as one that has already flourished for more than a century and said it would continue “long after this war ends.”
Among the business-facing elements of the deal is a long-term government-to-government arrangement to jointly produce uncrewed systems, counterdrone technology and munitions, pairing Ukrainian expertise with Canadian manufacturing capacity. Carney also said Canada would send Ukraine one-third of all drones manufactured domestically, with some of that production potentially routed through a new federal marketplace designed to speed up delivery of low-cost uncrewed systems to the Canadian Armed Forces.
A new joint venture was also announced between General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada, the Ottawa-based subsidiary of the U.S. defence contractor, and Ukrainian firm Green Tech Harvest, focused on producing uncrewed systems for use in the war. This follows a similar joint venture struck in May between Canadian drone company Sentinel R&D and Ukrainian counterpart Airlogix.
On the funding side, Ottawa is expanding its financial commitments to Ukraine. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, Canada has provided almost $9-billion in military aid and $70-million toward the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. Carney said that support will grow further, with a new $350-million package for critical air-defence interceptors delivered through the United States’ Joint Ukraine Multinational Program, a mechanism that allows for rapid delivery of equipment and training using contributions from multiple countries.
Canada will also extend more than $430-million in loan guarantees to help Ukrainians purchase gas through the winter, as the country continues to face energy shortages and rolling blackouts following Russian strikes on infrastructure.
The two leaders additionally pointed to Canada’s plans to join and support Ukraine’s Freya ballistic missile shield initiative in the coming months, contributing to broader European air defence efforts.
Carney said Ottawa is also preparing a new package of sanctions targeting anti-ballistic missile capabilities, should Russia undermine ongoing peace negotiations, and is updating existing sanctions covering Russian financial services and its fleet of oil tankers.
The agreements come ahead of a planned meeting between Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump in New York later this month to discuss the war, with Ukraine’s potential NATO membership still on hold as part of broader negotiations with Russia.
The Calgary announcement was part of a three-day visit to Canada by Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, which also included a stop in Banff, where Zelensky addressed a federal cabinet meeting, along with planned visits to Toronto and North Bay before their departure.
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