Canada is joining the Drone Coalition for Ukraine, which is co-led by Latvia and the United Kingdom. The country will look for ways to enhance the drone capabilities of Ukraine. This statement was made by Defence Secretary Bill Blair during a meeting with Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds. This was reported by Suspilne with reference to the press service of the Canadian Ministry of Defence.
Blair praised Latvia's military support for Ukraine. Both ministers also promised that both Canada and Latvia would continue to provide Ukraine with comprehensive military assistance.
"In order to further develop Ukraine's unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities, Minister Blair pledged that Canada will join the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Coalition of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which is led by Latvia and the United Kingdom. As a member of the Coalition, Canada will continue to look for ways to enhance Ukraine's drone capabilities," the statement said.
It is noted that, according to the Ministry of Defence of Canada, to date, the country has significantly stepped up its contribution to the development of drone capabilities in Ukraine, having transferred more than 100 specialised Canadian-made cameras for drones from L3 Wescam. It also announced the delivery of over 800 drones to the Ukrainian army from Teledyne FLIR last month in Waterloo, Ontario.
The ministers took part in a videoconference on support for Ukraine, hosted by French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Stéphane Séjourné and French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu.