Canada has locked in a century-long bet on drones and defense with Ukraine. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed a 100-year strategic declaration that covers defense, trade, investment, energy, and critical minerals—and puts drone production at its core, the CBC reports. Carney said Canada will build the capacity to turn out "millions of drones" within two years, including through a new military "drone marketplace" and joint production with Ukrainian companies he called "the most battle-tested developers on Earth." Canada's military currently fields about 2,000 drones in total.
The pact also covers co-development of uncrewed systems, counter-drone tools, munitions, and AI technologies. In addition, Canada pledged over $430 million in loan guarantees to help Ukraine buy gas for winter and $350 million for an air defense package at a time of a global missile squeeze linked to the Iran war. Standing beside Zelensky in Calgary, Alberta, Carney said there were "no qualifications" to Canada's support, framing Ukraine's fight as one for "freedom, democracy, sovereignty." Zelensky expressed gratitude and called the deal a "very important package" with real implications for Ukrainians' lives.
More than a million people in Canada are of Ukrainian descent, per Deutsche Welle, and Carney pointed out Ukrainians' role in contributing to European settlement in the western provinces ahead of the announcement. "Ukrainians help build this province, this country," he said. "Canada will help rebuild Ukraine when peace comes."
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