PM Shmyhal planning trip Canada to negotiate military aid and comprehensive support

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will pay an official visit to Canada in the coming weeks to discuss military aid, as well as economic and diplomatic support for Ukraine, he told The Globe and Mail.

According to the publication, Shmyhal will visit the country in order to find ammunition and armored vehicles for the counteroffensive, which should take place in the spring and summer.

"Now, we need heavy armoured vehicles. And we need more artillery shells: ammunition for howitzers and ammunition for tanks," he said said during an interview.

Shmyhal noted that his visit will include the signing of cooperation agreements with a Canadian company engaged in the nuclear industry. Also, the Ukrainian government would like Canada to offer war risk insurance for those Canadian companies that invest in Ukraine, the Prime Minister stated.

"So if a Canadian company will decide to invest money into Ukraine, we will ask the Canadian government to create some mechanism to support Canadian investments," Shmyhal said.

The minister will seek support from Canada regarding the Kyiv Security Treaty and President Zelenskyy's Peace Formula, which includes the withdrawal of Russian troops, the establishment of a special tribunal, and measures to guarantee nuclear security, the publication writes.

In the state budget for 2023, Canada has pledged $1.8 billion in financial and military aid to Ukraine.

In March, Canada extended for a year a program created to support Ukrainians affected by the Russian invasion.