Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy known as on Canada to strengthen European safety ensures for the battle torn nation by sending troops to Ukraine.
“We’re relying on the presence of Canadian forces in Ukraine,” beseeched the wartime chief, “that is vital for us,” he emphasised in a joint press convention in Kyiv alongside the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on 24 August 2025.
Uncover B2B Advertising That Performs
Mix enterprise intelligence and editorial excellence to succeed in engaged professionals throughout 36 main media platforms.
This prospect builds on latest commitments from European leaders, significantly the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who floated the notion of sending a power presence to safe Ukraine’s territorial integrity after a prospective peace deal.
It isn’t sure what this potential power presence would appear like however it’s sure that the British Military might be unable to undertake a high-intensity battle within the typical sense. This leaves the guarantor with little choice apart from a peacekeeping mission just like its deployment in Kosovo throughout the late-Nineties.
Little doubt conscious of the restricted deterrence of this answer towards Russia, a hardened peer adversary, Zelenskyy understandably needs to bolster the mixed Nato presence on the border with Russia. The president took the chance to debate this transfer with Carney throughout his go to to Kyiv final week to iron out particulars of a new security cooperation deal.
This deal is the newest bilateral association with Ukraine – others embody Denmark, Sweden and the UK – through which nations are tapping into Ukraine’s battlefield expertise and industrial innovation.
Whereas the Canadian authorities has not supplied any response to the prospect of inserting troops on the bottom in Ukraine, based on Zelenksyy’s workplace Canada is contemplating the likelihood.
Canadian technique
In Canada’s strategic evaluation, enshrined in Our North, Strong and Free, the Nato member doesn’t underestimate the broader, strategic risk posed by Russian forces. The adversary’s attain will not be restricted to the regional battle in Ukraine but in addition throughout Europe and in their very own sphere of affect within the Arctic area.
To that finish, the Ministry of Nationwide Defence (MND) has increased defence spending by C$9bn ($6.5bn) for fiscal 12 months 2025-26. However in a extra sobering context, Canada at the moment spends simply 1.37% of its gross home product on defence with an ambition to succeed in 2%, Nato’s previous baseline goal, by 2032.
These funds will give attention to rising the variety of personnel in a mixed power of 71,500 troops by 2030, new army infrastructure and capabilities with a give attention to the Excessive North.
GlobalData, a number one information and analytics consultancy, checklist the main tasks contributing to this elevated spending, such because the procurement of 88 F-35A multirole fighters, the development of a brand new fleet of multi-purpose frigates to exchange ageing warships, Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS), new ice-breaking patrol vessels for each the Navy and Coast Guard, and an ongoing seek for an optionally armed Remotely Piloted Plane System.
On this spirit, throughout Carney’s go to to Kyiv, the Royal Canadian Navy inducted its sixth and final AOPS.
What can Canada present?
This strategic context leaves Canadian officers with powerful selections in relation to allocating items to the suitable theatres. However with substantial work ongoing within the naval business for the Excessive North, it could be extra appropriate to offer Ukraine with troops and capabilities on the bottom and within the air.
Canada has contributed to deployments in Afghanistan, Syria, and Libya prior to now and frequently rotates troops into the Baltics for deterrence and air policing.
In actual fact, because the framework nation for the Enhanced Ahead Presence (EFP) battlegroup in Latvia, Canada plans to extend the variety of completely deployed troops in Latvia to 2,200 through 2026. Ought to the federal government determine to ship troops to Ukraine, it might be that Canada would divert this quantity to Ukraine after any potential peace course of.
With regards to air capabilities, in the meantime, the Canadian Armed Forces may feasibly ship its pilots to fly ageing CF-18 multirole fighter jets whereas the Air Drive waits to replenish this legacy fleet with its forthcoming F-35As from 2026. At current, Canada is investing C$6.38bn to extend the variety of short and medium range missiles for each plane.
This answer would offer a extremely manoeuvrable fighter jet for dogfights on the Russian border, which matches hand in hand with the information fusion and stealth that the F-35 platform gives. Nevertheless, it have to be understood that the Canadian Air Drive inducted 76 items all through the Eighties and one other 18 items between 2019 and 2021, based on GlobalData intelligence.
