(Ottawa) Canada will send 40 military engineers to Poland in the coming weeks to train Ukrainian forces in their fight against Russia.
Posted at 9:49
Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand made the announcement on Tuesday during a visit to Poland ahead of a scheduled meeting with her NATO counterparts in Belgium.
These Canadian soldiers will provide training in engineering, and on the use of explosives for demolition and mine clearance, a statement said.
This new contribution adds to the approximately 225 military trainers already working with Ukrainian forces as part of a British-led training mission.
Canada has also deployed three Hercules transport planes to Scotland, where they are helping deliver supplies to Ukrainian forces.
Minister Anand’s announcements come days after an explosion damaged a major bridge linking Russia and Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. This had prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to order missile strikes on several Ukrainian cities.
During her visit to Poland, Minister Anand met with her Polish counterpart, Mariusz Błaszczak. The two ministers pledged to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the field of defence.
As part of Operation UNIFIER – formed to assist Ukrainian forces in the face of the Russian invasion – 33,000 Ukrainian military and security personnel received training from Canadian soldiers. Canada also provided military personnel to help Ukrainian refugees.
“Poland and Canada are close NATO allies, and the progress made at today’s meeting will help us build an even closer defense relationship,” Minister Anand said in a statement.
“Both Poland and Canada have shown leadership in supporting Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion. »