Canada is looking at ways to get more weapons into the hands of Ukrainian soldiers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday after an emergency meeting of NATO leaders.
He made the commitment even though his own defence minister, Anita Anand, has acknowledged publicly that the Canadian military's stock of surplus weapons available for donation is largely depleted.
"We'll continue to try and help out in the best possible way we can and as [Ukrainian President Volodomyr] Zelensky has been asking for various new pieces of equipment, we're looking at what we can send," Trudeau said.
"At the same time, we're also committed to looking at procuring that equipment directly for Ukrainians."
The prime minister offered no details on what Canada could contribute or buy.
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President Zelensky issued a direct appeal to NATO allies earlier in the day for high-end military equipment his country urgently needs to fight off Russia's invasion — tanks, aircraft and anti-ship missile systems.
Zelensky demanded a clear answer from the alliance. The response he got from NATO's secretary general was somewhat muted: Jens Stoltenberg confirmed a previous decision by the alliance to supply Ukraine with equipment to protect against chemical, biological and nuclear attacks.
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Trudeau, who has spoken often with Zelensky, would not say Thursday whether he endorsed allies sending Ukraine weapons systems larger and more complex than the anti-aircraft and anti-tank rockets already provided.
The list of equipment Canada has sent or promised Ukraine includes machine guns, carbines, hand guns, ammunition, and anti-tank rockets, along with non-lethal items like flak vests and field rations.
Some of that materiel is still in the process of being delivered.
