As Russia presses forward, Ukraine pleads with Canada for armour, air defence

A leading member of the Ukrainian parliament delivered stark warnings to Canadian politicians and top defence officials this week in a series of mostly under-the-radar meetings in Ottawa ahead of the long-anticipated aid vote in the U.S. Congress.

Oleksandra Ustinova, the head of Ukraine's special parliamentary commission on arms and munitions, told Defence Minister Bill Blair, members of key House of Commons committees and military leaders that both time and weapons stocks are running out for her country.

«The message is very clear. There is urgency, and Ukraine is going to lose if there is no more support coming,» Ustinova told CBC News.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Saturday in favour of legislation that included aid for Ukraine, part of a wider $95-billion US package that also includes support for Israel and Taiwan.

Saturday's vote puts an end to a months-long holdup involving more than $60 billion in U.S. support for the embattled eastern European country. Russian forces have made slow and steady gains on the battlefield and have pummelled Ukrainian cities in a series of missile and air strikes.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization convened a special virtual meeting of defence ministers on Friday, where they committed to helping Ukraine tighten up its air defences.

«NATO has mapped out existing capabilities across the alliance and there are systems that can be made available to Ukraine,» said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

It's those existing capabilities and inventory, coupled with air defence, that Ustinova was interested in as she met with Canadian officials and toured Camp Petawawa, a major military base near Ottawa, earlier this week.

In particular, she was interested in Canada's stock of new