Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Screenshot/CPAC
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Trudeau pledges another $5B to Ukraine while musing to put Canadian boots on the ground

Jen Hodgson

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Kyiv Monday morning pledged to gift Ukraine with $5 billion in military equipment.

And Trudeau is now pondering the possibility of sending Canadian troops to Ukraine in efforts to prolong the war that US officials under President Donald Trump’s administration have made inroads in bringing to an end.

According to data from the Government of Canada website published October 18, 2024, since February 2022 Canada has committed over $19.5 billion to fuel the Ukraine war effort.

Trudeau, in Kyiv to mark the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war, at a press conference announced Canada will gift $5 billion to Ukraine using funds from seized Russian assets.

Trudeau pledged on behalf of Canada 25 additional light armoured vehicles, two armoured combat-support vehicles (Ukrainian troops are to be trained in Germany “shortly” to use the machines, Trudeau said), four F-16 flight simulators and an energy security grant to guard against what he called Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s power grid.

“We cannot return to an era where might makes right,” said Trudeau.

“We must do everything in our power to enable Ukraine to secure a just and lasting peace, a peace that cannot be achieved without Ukrainians at the table,” he added, referring to the fact the Trump administration has bypassed Ukraine to negotiate peace deals directly with Moscow.

Trudeau committed Canadian troops to train the Ukrainians to prevent Russia from ending the current “world order.”

“Once a just peace is secured, Canada stands at the ready to work with our partners around the world to provide Ukraine the security it needs for the peace to last, allowing it to recover, rebuild, and prosper,” he said.

“We can’t wait. The moment to stop this war of aggression, the moment to defend democracy, the moment to stand for our shared values — is now. So let us seize it.”

A reporter asked if the prime minister was considering sending troops to “help maintain security” for Ukraine, to which Trudeau responded Canada will be involved one way or another, and “everything is on the table.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly last week said the Trudeau Liberals are discussing how "more Canadians [can be] involved in protecting Ukraine,” according to City News Calgary.

“This is not a conflict Ukraine wanted, provoked or asked for in any way,” said Trudeau from Kyiv.

“This is a war started for one reason and one reason only: Russia’s desire to erase Ukrainian history and expand their empire.”