Shmyhal to travel to Canada to negotiate on heavy equipment

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal plans to visit Canada for talks on ammunition and heavy equipment.

He said this in an interview with The Globe and Mail.

Shmyhal will visit Canada in the coming weeks, but for security reasons, the Ukrainian government does not disclose the date of the trip.

Shmyhal said that the Ukrainian government would also like the Canadian government to offer war risk insurance to Canadian companies investing in Ukraine as part of efforts to support reconstruction and foreign investment in Ukraine.

The Canadian government's 2023 budget, released in March, proposes a new $2.4 billion loan to Ukraine but does not include additional military assistance. However, over the past 12 months, Ottawa has provided Kyiv with more than $1 billion worth of military equipment.

Shmyhal said he is not concerned about the lack of new military aid for Ukraine in the federal budget and hopes that Canada will still provide more military aid, among other forms of assistance.

"We need heavily armored vehicles now. And we need more artillery shells: ammunition for howitzers and ammunition for tanks. This is extremely important for organizing our counteroffensive," he said.

Shmyhal added that Ukraine needs countries like Canada to help pave the way for more foreign investment - and that includes special insurance to reduce the financial risks associated with operating in a war zone.

He said that the visit would include signing cooperation agreements with a Canadian company in the nuclear industry - but did not provide further details - and noted that Kyiv has already signed agreements with foreign firms, including Canadian ones.

Author - Olena Madiak, 07/04/2023