The Canadian defense minister Anita Anand announced at the 12th Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting on May 25 that Canada will supply the Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles to Kyiv.
The announcement was part of a larger military aid program for Ukraine. Canada has been training Ukrainian troops and providing arms since Putin invaded Ukraine last year.
“Minister Anand further announced that Canada is donating 43 AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles to Ukraine, from the Canadian Air Force (CAF) inventory, and noted that this donation will help Ukraine to secure its skies in the face of ongoing Russian attacks,” a dispatch from the Canadian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.
The Sidewinder, typically used as a short-range air-to-air weapon carried by combat aircraft and NASAMS anti-air missiles, is being supplied to Ukraine for the first time.
The Minister also noted that under Operation UNIFIER, the Canadian Armed Forces and Latvian National Armed Forces began jointly delivering Junior Officer leadership development training for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on May 15. This line of effort was recently announced by Minister Anand during the visit to Canada of the Minister of Defence of Latvia, Ināra Mūrniece. Since the start of Operation UNIFIER in 2015, the CAF has trained more than 36,000 members of the Security Forces of Ukraine in battlefield tactics and advanced military skills, with more than 2,400 trained since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Minister Anand further announced that Canada is donating 43 AIM-9 missiles to Ukraine, from CAF inventory, and noted that this donation will help Ukraine to secure its skies in the face of ongoing Russian attacks.
The Minister also noted that delivery of the donation packages of small arms and ammunition announced in April is on track. Machine guns, assault rifles, cleaning kits, and magazines have already been delivered to Ukraine, and 1 million rounds of 5.56mm ammunition and 4,800 assault rifles are scheduled to be delivered in the coming weeks. All 21,000 small arms and 2.4 million rounds of ammunition are expected to be in Ukraine by the summer.
Thanks to the ongoing work of the Royal Canadian Air Force detachment in Prestwick, Scotland, Canada has now transported over nine million pounds of Ukraine-bound military aid donated by Canada, Allies, and partners within Europe.
Canada remains committed to working closely with Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with the support it needs as it continues its brave fight against Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable war.
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