Canada commits an extra $500M in military assistance as NATO rallies around Ukraine

Canada plans to commit an additional $500 million in military assistance to Ukraine this year, the federal government said on the sidelines of the NATO Summit.

The announcement, late Wednesday, capped a day where the 32-member alliance clearly felt the political pressure of a war going badly.

NATO delivered long-sought commitments and reassurance, stating in its official declaration the Eastern European country is on an «irreversible» path to membership.

The additional money, on top of the projected $4 billion in arms and munitions Canada has already pledged and donated, came following a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Washington summit.

The majority of the funding will go toward a NATO-led, 40-billion euro initiative that aims to provide the war-ravaged country with steady financing and predictable military support.

At the same, Canada said it would expand its training of Ukrainian pilots who are learning to fly western warplanes.

The federal government had previously committed tens of millions toward the training, but a senior federal official, speaking on background Wednesday, said Canada will play a more active role in the instruction, some of which has been spearheaded by the private sector.

Last winter, Defence Minister Bill Blair — in two separate announcements — committed $75 million, $15 million of which went to pay for civilian pilot instructors from Montreal-based Top Aces Inc.

The U.S., the Netherlands and Denmark announced Wednesday that the first NATO-provided F-16s would be in the hands of Ukrainian military pilots by this summer.

Canada does not operate the U.S.-manufactured warplane, but they are used by Top Aces, a private company that