Canada may transfer some of its banned firearms to Ukraine
Photo: Canada's Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc (Getty Images)
Canada is considering transferring some firearms to Ukraine. These weapons are prohibited for use in Canada, the Associated Press reports.
As stated by Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Dominic LeBlanc, the country will introduce an additional ban on 324 types of firearms. This decision is an extension of the previous ban, which in May 2020 covered 1,500 makes and models of weapons.
"This means that these firearms can no longer be used," said LeBlanc.
According to him, these weapons should be on the battlefield, not in the hands of hunters or sports shooters.
It is noted that the list of prohibited firearms in Canada was expanded due to public concerns that the initial ban did not sufficiently cover assault-style weapons.
At the same time, Canada’s Defense Minister, Bill Blair, stated that Ottawa has reached out to Ukrainian authorities, who have expressed interest in certain types of these weapons.
"Every bit of assistance we can offer to the Ukrainians is one step toward their victory," Blair said.
Currently, it remains unclear when the ban will be fully implemented in Canada and when Ukraine might receive some of the confiscated firearms. However, Canada’s federal government continues negotiations with local authorities on buying back prohibited weapons from private owners.
Canada's support for Ukraine
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Canada has provided significant support in military, humanitarian, and financial areas. The government allocated hundreds of millions of dollars for the supply of weapons, military equipment, ammunition, and for training Ukrainian soldiers within the UNIFIER program. Canada has also provided Ukraine with artillery, armored vehicles, and air defense systems.
Canada is also actively assisting at the diplomatic level by imposing sanctions on Russia, providing humanitarian aid for refugees, and financing the restoration of critical infrastructure.
In September, it became known that Canada plans to provide Ukraine with a modern medium-range air defense system, NASAMS. By mid-November, it was confirmed that the air defense system (ADS) had already arrived in the country.
