Canada, Ukraine sign declaration for 100-year partnership

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a declaration for a 100-year partnership on Thursday in Calgary, with Carney stating the agreement looks beyond the war in Ukraine toward long-term cooperation in defense, trade, and technology.

Century-long framework

Speaking at a news conference following the ceremony, Carney said the two countries would work to codify a comprehensive framework covering defense, security, trade, investment, reconstruction, energy, critical minerals, and technology. "President Zelensky and I have just signed a declaration for 100-year partnership," he said, adding that the coming months would see the long-term structure formalized.

Defense rearmament

Carney highlighted Calgary's deep ties to Ukraine, noting that more than 350,000 Canadians of Ukrainian descent live in Alberta, including 70,000 in Calgary, and pointed to the city's innovative institutions such as the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Describing the war as being at a turning point, he said Ukraine is now neutralizing aerial threats from more than 600 kilometers away, while Russia relies on authoritarian regimes to refuel its war machine. Drones would be central to Canada's defense rearmament, the largest in 70 years, as Ottawa works to "build Canada strong, Canada safe, Canada secure," he said.

Drone manufacturing

Canada's armed forces currently hold roughly 2,000 drones, but Carney stated that "in the years to come, we will need millions," noting that Ottawa launched the Defense Drone Initiative earlier this year to expand domestic manufacturing for the Canadian Armed Forces and Canadian Coast Guard. He announced a national drone marketplace connecting military units directly with nearly 400 Canadian suppliers, part of a plan to build capacity to produce millions of drones within two years, adding that "today's contracts will increase the number of drones available to the cap tenfold." Carney also said Canada and Ukraine finalized a deal to deliver air defense interceptors through the US Jumpstart mechanism, a $350 million equipment package aimed at protecting Ukrainian skies.