Canada intends to transfer the advanced NASAMS air defense system to Ukraine at the beginning of next year.
Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair revealed this in an interview with CBC News.
According to Blair, Canada joined a U.S.-placed order for 10 NASAMS systems last year.
The manufacturing company, Raytheon, assures that these systems will be delivered by the end of this year.
“Our systems will be included in this shipment, and we will send them to Ukraine immediately,” Blair said.
He clarified that the NASAMS systems are expected to arrive in Ukraine at the beginning of 2025.
Canada announced its intention to transfer the NASAMS air defense system, worth over $300 million, to Ukraine on January 10, 2023.
The original agreements stipulated that Canada would reimburse the U.S. for the full cost of the new NASAMS system, and in return, the U.S. would establish a direct contract for supplying the weaponry to Ukraine.
This arrangement was intended to allow Canada to bypass the requirement for obtaining U.S. permission for the re-export of NASAMS to Ukraine.