A second shipment of Canadian lethal aid arrived in Ukraine Wednesday as part of the federal government’s promise to support its ally against Russian incursion.
Defence Minister Anita Anand tweeted photos of the gear, writing that “further invasion of a sovereign state is absolutely unacceptable,” and reiterating Canada’s support.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov thanked Canada for its support, posting a video on Facebook of the shipment arriving by plane.
This comes after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $7.8 million worth of lethal equipment and ammunition to Ukraine. Previously the aid sent to the eastern European country was non-lethal only, including surveillance equipment, field hospitals and other medical gear through the Canadian Armed Forces’ deployment as part of Operation UNIFIER.
Wednesday marked the Ukrainian Council of National Security and Defence declaring a state of emergency for the entire country, as tensions continue to rise after Russian President Vladimir Putin moved troops into two separatist-backed, pro-Russian regions he recognized as republics on Monday
