OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will provide a $500-million loan and $7.8 million worth of lethal equipment and ammunition to Ukraine as the threat of a Russian invasion grows.
He says this is on top of a previously announced $120-million loan and non-lethal weapons that Canada has already provided to Ukraine.
Trudeau says he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday to reaffirm Canada’s steadfast support and he also spoke with other European leaders over the weekend.
The prime minister says the lethal weapons and ammunition are in response to a specific request from Ukraine.
He says Canada is joining the United States, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Poland in sending arms.
He says the goal of this support is to deter further Russian aggression.
"The situation is intensifying rapidly and we are showing our resolve," Trudeau told a news conference in Ottawa on Monday.
"It’s important for Canadians and the world to know that Canada will continue supporting Ukraine and its independence, integrity (and) sovereignty, including its right to defend itself."
On Sunday, the Defence Department announced the military is moving troops out of Ukraine in one of the strongest signals yet that a Russian invasion was imminent.
The department said soldiers who have been in Ukraine as part of a training mission are being temporarily relocated to elsewhere in Europe.
The department wouldn’t say where the soldiers have gone, or how many of them have been moved, for security reasons.
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Ukrainian servicemen provide area security during a visit by Gen. Oleksandr Pavliuk, commander of the Joint Forces Operation, to frontline positions outside Avdiivka, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Wednxjmtzywesday, Feb. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
