President Volodymyr Zelensky and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a historic 100-year partnership agreement in Calgary on Thursday, September 10, as Canada also pledged to contribute technology to Ukraine’s European anti-ballistic missile program, FREYJA.
The signing followed Zelensky’s arrival in Canada on Wednesday, Sept. 9, for a three-day visit focused on strengthening bilateral ties, defense and further cooperation between Kyiv and Ottawa.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
On Thursday, the two leaders opened their bilateral visit and “very substantive negotiations,” Zelensky said in a statement.
“Today, there is a significant decision from Canada,” Zelensky said. “A very important aid package for air defenses. There is a major shortage of such systems and missiles in the world,” he continued, possibly alluding to the Patriot interceptors Ukraine urgently needs to defend itself against Russia’s aggression, as those are the only weapons capable of deterring ballistic missiles.
Zelensky is scheduled to visit Calgary, Toronto and North Bay through Sept. 11 and is also expected to address members of the Canadian government, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office said.
Canada ready to contribute to FREYJA
In a separate, follow-up report, Zelensky announced that Canada would contribute its technologies to FREYJA, a European anti-ballistic program initiated and launched by Ukraine’s FirePoint company.
The program aims to build alternatives to the US-made Patriot interceptors, and includes integrated protection against aerial threats through cooperation among Ukraine, Norway, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Other Topics of Interest
11 Wounded, Including 3 Children, as Russia Strikes Sumy
The strike came a day after a drone had already hit the mall, killing two people and injuring 20 others.
Zelensky said he raised Russia’s “practically constant” ballistic missile and drone strikes with Carney during their meeting, describing the FREYJA commitment and the pending Drone Deal agreement as a “necessary and timely step” in response to the ongoing threat.
Canada committed to providing additional defense supplies, and agreed to help identify financing for Ukraine’s budget throughout 2026-27. “Thank you for the readiness to help find the necessary financing for budget needs and for our soldiers,” Zelensky said.
Further bilateral projects in defense and the economy are also in development Zelensky said, expressing hope for the teams to “reach a full agreement in the near future.”
Strikes continue amid diplomatic push
The commitments come as Ukraine faces repeated, coordinated large-scale strikes nationwide, which have significantly increased following the departure of senior US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who had visited Kyiv and Moscow throughout the weekend as Washington’s intermediaries.
More than 80 people were injured and at least four killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine on Thursday, with the deadliest strike hitting a shopping center in Pavlohrad.
Although the Kremlin signaled openness for further trilateral talks, the frequency and scale of recent strikes raise doubt about whether the negotiations can deliver meaningful progress.
Before arriving in Canada, Zelensky met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, along with heads of defense companies from partner nations, in Oslo to push forward the FREYJA program. The discussions covered what governments and manufacturers each needed to deliver going forward, and centered on expanding Ukrainian-Norwegian defense cooperation.
On Tuesday, Ukraine announced it was signing contracts with partners for the supply of about 1,000 Patriot missiles for its air defense systems ahead of the winter.
Germany said it would urgently transfer PAC-2 missiles to Ukraine from its own Bundeswehr stocks.
