On April 26, Canada's Minister of National Defense Bill Blair announced the allocation of USD 2.1 million for the production of drones by the Ukrainian defense industry. This was made during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. This contribution will be made in cooperation with the UK.

"Ukrainians have been relentless in their fight for freedom, democracy and a rules-based international order that keeps us all safe. On the two-year anniversary of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Canada reaffirms that it will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes to win," said Bill Blair, Minister of National Defense of Canada.

Thus, Canada joins the ZBROYARI: Manufacturing Freedom initiative. This is a global fundraising campaign aimed at raising USD 10 billion for the production of Ukrainian weapons this year.

"I remember our first conversation with Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair. It was after the announcement of Canadian drones for Ukraine, for which I, of course, thanked him. But I also showed Bill the Ukrainian alternatives. Drones that we can produce right now and that do not yield to Canadian counterparts. My proposal was simple: buy some drones for Ukraine from Ukrainian companies. This would not only allow us to quickly manufacture and transfer the necessary equipment to the Defense Forces, but also support the Ukrainian economy. Bill was interested, and today we have an official decision from Canada. A decision for which I am even more grateful," said Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin.

As a reminder, Denmark was the first country to allocate funds for the purchase of Ukrainian weapons for the Ukrainian army. The Danish government announced the allocation of USD 28.5 million for this purpose.