By Canadian Press

Questions surround Canada’s donation of air defence system for Ukraine one year on

Jan 9, 2024 | 6:29 AM

OTTAWA — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says improving air defence is a top priority for his country in the new year, but getting air defence systems onto the battlefield has been slow.

The surface-to-air missile system Canada pledged to buy for Ukraine a year ago has not arrived and it’s not clear whether the federal government knows when it will be sent to Ukraine. 

The Defence Department says Canada paid the U.S. government $406 million for the system last March. 

A spokesperson for DND says the U.S. government has signed a contract with arms maker Raytheon to get it built. 

But Kongsberg, the other company involved in building those surface-to-air systems, says it has no contract with the U.S. or with Canada for the donation. 

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A spokesperson for the Pentagon would not provide information on the status of the system, instead referring questions to Canadian officials. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press