Canada and Czech Republic strengthen military support for Ukraine
Two more countries have resolutely sided with Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity amid ongoing buildup of Russian troops along its borders.
Canadian and Czech authorities have announced that are increasing military cooperation with Kyiv as Russia.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly did not rule out the possibility of her country sending weapons to Ukraine but did not provide any details about it.
"The most important thing right now is really to work with Ukrainians to deal with their security threats. That's what we'll be doing. My colleague Anita Anand, the defence minister, is actively on this file as well with allies…Ukraine's security is Europe's security and therefore it is the world and Canada's security," Joly said in an interview with CTV News.
"We call on Russia, along with all NATO allies to stop their military buildup next to Ukraine… when it comes to dealing with the threat that Russia poses right now, that is exactly why I had on Friday, an important meeting with all the foreign ministers of NATO because it is important as an alliance that we show strength and unity and resolve," Joly stressed.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said that the Czech Republic is strengthening military cooperation with Ukraine.
According to him, Prague is already coordinating with NATO allies its steps to prevent further Russian aggression against Ukraine.
"At the national level, the Czech Republic is focused on strengthening its own resilience to the consequences of Russia's actions and on bilaterally strengthening assistance to Ukraine in a number of areas, including military cooperation, and broader reforms in both the short and long term," the foreign minister said.
Lipavsky said that soon he will be visiting Kyiv together with the foreign ministers of Slovakia and Austria.