Canada will provide Ukraine with over 11,000 assault rifles and over 9 million rounds of ammunition for small arms.
European Pravda reported on this.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced this at a joint briefing with senior EU officials.
Trudeau emphasized that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine continues and that Ukraine needs support to defend itself.
“Today I am announcing that Canada is transferring more than 11,000 assault rifles and more than 9 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine,” Trudeau said.
It is unclear what kind of rifles the Canadian government decided to transfer to Ukraine, but it can be assumed that it is a local version of the Colt M16 or Colt M16 under the names Diemaco C7 and Diemaco C8, respectively.
These rifles have been in use by the Defense Forces of Ukraine since about mid-spring 2022, but they have been in widespread use since summer and fall.
The C7 assault rifle is a modified version of the American Colt M16A1E1 rifle, which is manufactured under license by the Canadian company DIEMACO, now called Colt Canada.
Militarnyi reported in April that Canada would send 21,000 assault rifles, 38 machine guns, and more than 2.4 million rounds of cartridges to Ukraine.
Recently, Canada stated plans to provide over CAD 1 billion in military aid to Ukraine by 2026.
Of this amount, CAD 816 million is allocated for 2023-2024, and CAD 515 million until 2026.
The Canadian government does not disclose the details of the aid, but it can be assumed that it is direct financial assistance for security and defense.