Canadian Parliament recommends that Ottawa supply lethal weapons to Ukraine
The Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence (NDDN) has prepared a report advising the government to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons in order to enhance the capabilities of the Ukrainian army in confronting the Russian Federation.
"We recommend that the Government of Canada provide lethal weapons to Ukraine to protect its sovereignty from Russian aggression," the document says. However, in turn, Ukraine must demonstrate that it is "actively working to eradicate corruption at all levels of government."
Members of the Committee have also advised to include Ukraine in the so-called Automatic Firearms Country Control List, which identifies countries to which Canada allows its domestic producers to supply weapons.
it currently includes 39 countries, including Botswana, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Colombia, but not Ukraine.
The report was prepared based on the findings of a trip by Committee members to Ukraine this past summer, as well as personal meetings they held with various experts in Ottawa. The recommendations suggested in the Committee report are not binding; however, the government usually reflects them in its decisions.
On December 12, US President Donald Trump signed a defense budget for 2018 providing for the possibility of offering Ukraine lethal weapons of a defensive nature.