Foreign aid provided to Ukraine from Canada has surpassed $13.3 billion since the conflict began over two years ago.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, of Ukrainian descent, pledged ongoing financial support last April. “We will be there until Ukraine wins the war,” she told reporters at the time.

The military aid Canada is providing includes donations of missiles, ammunition, rocket launchers, anti-armour weapons, drones and Leopard battle tanks. 

At the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., PM Trudeau gives a speech about how climate change is one of NATO's biggest threats before bragging about the Liberals' carbon tax.https://t.co/jUtoWGAecm pic.twitter.com/5YOgNnE9IU

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) July 9, 2024

In addition, the Trudeau government has not ruled out sending troops to Ukraine for training purposes.

Defence Minister Bill Blair told reporters on June 17 the “circumstances are not right” to deploy. “However, should the conditions change, we are open to that,” he said.

Canada trained Ukrainians in their country until the unilateral invasion. The Armed Forces are in Latvia, Poland, Britain and at home under Operation Unifor. 

Minister Blair said Canada is not willing to send military personnel to Ukraine’s front lines.

Chrystia Freeland stresses the importance of NATO's Article 5 when asked about Donald Trump's comments urging countries to reach their 2% commitments.

"The core principle of NATO is an attack on one country is an attack on all." pic.twitter.com/vLA2yl9952

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 13, 2024

An internal Department of Finance poll published last year by Blacklock’s Reporter showed that fewer than a third (32%) of Canadians support more financial aid for Ukraine. 36% of Canadians oppose ongoing help, whereas 33% have no opinion.

Earlier this year, Canada inked a 10-year security pact with Ukraine for $3 billion. But concerns remain after failing to meet NATO spending targets in more than two decades.

Recent spending pledges are aimed at bringing Canada's defence spending to 1.76% of GDP by 2030—well short of the 2% target. That figure is disputed by the Parliamentary Budget Office.

Nine other NATO allies are not meeting their defence commitments.

The announcement capped a day where the 32-member alliance faces incredible political pressure of a war going badly, reported CBC News.

PM Trudeau behind closed doors told NATO that Canada will never meet it's 2% of GDP defence spending requirement. He refuses to answer when asked about the leaks. pic.twitter.com/lNZ9q2dBTo

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 20, 2023

NATO made a declaration at the Summit that Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to membership.

“We are not doing this because we want to prolong a war. We are doing it because we want to end a war as soon as possible,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. 

He underlined Ukrainian membership to NATO would ensure Russia never attacks Ukraine again.

More than 11,100 Ukrainian civilians have perished in the military conflict, according to a May report by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 

Reconstruction and recovery is projected to cost US$486 billion over the next decade.

Trudeau denies $1B will be cut from the Canadian Armed Forces, saying like a household, he's cutting "extra" and "unnecessary" things from the defence budget.

Canada's current spending rate of 1.3% continues to fall short of NATO's 2% commitment.https://t.co/IRDTKvQkdt pic.twitter.com/ZQWnWa07wK

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) October 5, 2023

This news comes as more than half (535%) of Canadians want the federal government to meet the defence spending benchmark, according to an Angus Reid poll. Nearly 30% now see military preparedness as a top priority, more than double the number from a decade ago. 

Research by the Department of National Defence found that 46% of Canadians believe that the military is underfunded. When asked "Do you feel Canada’s military is underfunded, overfunded or receives about the right amount?” 26% said current spending is adequate, and 23% had no opinion. Among those with a family member in the Army, Navy, or Air Force, 57% believe the military is underfunded. Additionally, only 27% agree that the Canadian Armed Forces have the necessary equipment to do their job, while 41% disagree