Canada and Ukraine have signed a sweeping 100-year strategic partnership aimed at deepening ties in defence, security, trade, investment, energy and critical minerals, while launching an ambitious effort to expand drone production.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the declaration on Thursday in Calgary, establishing a long-term framework that the two governments plan to develop in greater detail over the coming months.
The agreement is being accompanied by a series of defence contracts and industrial partnerships, with drones and other uncrewed systems emerging as a central part of the relationship.
“Canada will always stand in solidarity with Ukraine,” Carney said alongside Zelenskyy, linking Canada’s support to the defence of freedom, democracy and national sovereignty.
Canada plans to produce millions of drones
Drawing on lessons from Ukraine’s battlefield experience, Canada plans to establish its own drone marketplace, allowing individual Canadian military units to work more quickly with companies capable of supplying the technology they need.
Carney said the initiative is part of a broader strategy to develop enough industrial capacity to produce millions of drones within the next two years.
The scale would represent a dramatic expansion for the Canadian Armed Forces, which currently has about 2,000 drones of various types in its inventory.
Ottawa has already awarded contracts worth up to $50 million that are expected to increase the number of drones deployed by the Canadian military tenfold.
The initial procurement involves six companies in New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan and will include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drones as well as uncrewed ground vehicles.
Canadian and Ukrainian companies to work together
Canada also intends to pair domestic companies with Ukrainian manufacturers and developers, giving Canadian industry access to expertise developed during years of intensive drone warfare.
General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada and Ukrainian company Green Tech Harvest will work together on the development and production of drones and related technologies.
That arrangement follows another partnership announced in May involving Airlogix LLC and Sentinel Research & Development.
Canada and Ukraine are also pursuing longer-term co-operation involving uncrewed systems, counter-drone technology, munitions and artificial intelligence.
Carney said working alongside Ukrainian companies would allow Canadian manufacturers to learn from some of the world’s most battle-tested drone developers.
Zelenskyy welcomes accelerated defence partnership
Zelenskyy described the agreements as an important package that could have a direct impact on Ukrainians as the country continues defending itself against Russia.
The Ukrainian president also suggested Carney has personally pushed officials to accelerate the timetable for joint drone production.
Zelenskyy said officials initially suggested a drone agreement could be completed within 90 days, but Carney challenged the teams to determine whether it could be accomplished in nine.
Ukraine’s battlefield experience is particularly valuable because drone technology is evolving at extraordinary speed. Some uncrewed systems can become outdated within three to six months, while tactics for deploying them can change within four to six weeks as opposing forces adapt.
That rapid evolution presents a challenge for Canada as it attempts to expand its drone inventory without accumulating technology that could quickly become obsolete.
Canada considers European missile-defence project
Zelenskyy also said Canada is prepared to join FREYA, a pan-European anti-ballistic missile defence initiative led by Ukrainian defence company Fire Point.
The project aims to develop a less expensive alternative to U.S.-made Patriot missile batteries, which remain in limited supply.
Canada’s participation would further deepen its integration with Ukrainian and European defence industries as Ottawa seeks to expand its military capabilities and diversify defence procurement.
Beyond defence, the century-long partnership is designed to strengthen co-operation in trade, investment, energy and critical minerals, creating a framework for a much broader Canada-Ukraine relationship.
While many of the details still need to be negotiated and implemented, the initial agreements signal that Ottawa and Kyiv intend their partnership to extend beyond immediate wartime assistance and become a long-term strategic relationship spanning defence, industry and economic security.
