1 of 3 | The Ukrainian armed forces are now authorized to use donated Canadian military equipment such as the Leopard tank (pictured is the German version) on Russian territory, the Canadian Defense Ministry confirmed. File photo by Filip Singer/EPA-EFE
Aug. 16 (UPI) – The Canadian Department of Defense confirmed that the Ukrainian armed forces are now authorized to use donated Canadian military equipment on Russian territory.
Canadian government officials made the comments on Thursday, joining several other countries that have already given Ukraine the green light to use donated weapons within Russian borders.
Canada donated eight Leopard 2A4 tanks, several dozen armoured combat support vehicles, hundreds of armoured patrol vehicles and 4,200 M72A5-C1 rocket launchers. It also provided ammunition and air defence systems.
“Ukrainians know best how to defend their homeland, and we are committed to supporting them in doing so,” Andrée-Anne Poulin, spokeswoman for the Canadian Department of Defense, told POLITICO on Friday.
“Canada strongly supports Ukraine’s right to defend itself against Russia’s illegal and unjustified war – and that is why we have pledged more than $4 billion in military assistance to Ukraine.”
In total, Canada has provided Ukraine with approximately $4.5 billion in military assistance since 2022. The Canadian government has pledged to continue military support until at least 2029.
British officials on Thursday gave Ukraine permission to use the donated weapons on Russian territory as long as international law was respected.
The news came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the British Cabinet in July, calling for an easing of restrictions on weapons supplied by Western countries for Ukraine’s war against Russia.
Germany had also previously stated that Ukraine had permission to use donated Western weapons on Russian territory.
Zelensky said on Thursday that his troops had now captured the town of Sudzha, continuing their incursion into Russian territory.
A ground offensive in Russia’s western Kursk Oblast has been underway for a week. The region borders Ukraine and Russian authorities have declared a state of emergency there and evacuated thousands of residents.
It was not immediately clear whether military equipment donated by the West was also used in the offensive.
