CALGARY – Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed multiple declarations and initiatives on Thursday, including a 100-year partnership declaration and drone collaboration, during Zelenskyy’s official visit to Canada. “This is a relationship that has flourished over 100 years, and it will flourish in the century ahead, long after this war ends,” Carney said during a joint press conference in Calgary. According to a press release, the 100-year partnership – with framework still to come – sets out the “intention to elevate the relationship between their countries into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and confirming their aligned nature.” Both countries also signed a joint declaration on defence and security co-operation, along with a commitment to work together on critical minerals. “I’m happy that we signed some very important documents. It’s not just documents, not papers. These documents mean the results, what we can have in our partnership,” Zelenskyy told reporters. Carney, meanwhile, reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to provide additional military help to address Ukraine’s need for air defence systems and equipment by supporting Project Freya, Ukraine’s pan-European effort to develop a lower-cost, high-volume interceptor capable of countering Russian ballistic missile attacks. In the past few weeks, Russia has escalated its attacks on civilian installations in Kyiv. Zelenskyy has asked NATO allies, such Norway and the United Kingdom, for more air defence weapons such as drones and missiles. Since Russia began its war in 2022, Canada has provided $8.5 billion in military support to Ukraine, along with $750 million to help with that country’s recovery and reconstruction efforts. Canada has also imposed over 3,500 sanctions against Russia. Earlier on Thursday, Carney also announced Canada is launching a national drone marketplace for the Canadian Armed Forces that will give Canada the capacity to produce millions of drones within the next two years. He says Ukrainian drone companies that are world leaders will partner with Canadian companies to develop these drones, while Ukraine will benefit from Canadian skills in manufacturing and artificial intelligence. Zelenskyy to address Liberal cabinet Following his stop in Calgary, Zelenskyy will travel to Banff, Alta., with Carney in a joint motorcade to address the Liberal government’s cabinet planning forum on Thursday, which convenes cabinet ministers and secretaries of state to assess the progress and future plans of the federal government. Zelenskyy landed in Calgary on Wednesday evening amid a cloak of secrecy, but the planning for his visit to address cabinet has been in the works for months. A senior source in the Prime Minister’s Office tells CTV News that Carney extended the invitation to Zelenskyy to speak to his inner circle in June during the G7 Summit in Évian-Les-Bains, France. Zelenskyy will address cabinet at a time when the prime minister is pursuing stronger ties with the European Union. Carney has been invited to address European Parliament in Strasbourg, France next week. Canada is also the first non-European member of the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program, a €150-billion (approximately C$240.8-billion) defence financing and joint procurement initiative. Canada has also been selected as the headquarters for the new Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, created to finance defence projects for NATO members and allied countries. According to the PMO source, Zelenskyy’s agenda in Canada was kept under wraps at the request of Ukraine. Prior to his arrival in Canada, two Russian drones crossed into Moldovan airspace, where Zelenskyy’s plane was waiting to depart for Norway to attend the funeral of King Harald V. Zelenskyy is scheduled to travel to Toronto and North Bay, Ont., before he departs Canada on Friday. With files from The Canadian Press
