Offering Loans Of Funds To Equipment And Ammunition For Ukraine, Canadian PM: Prevents Russian Aggression

PM Kanada Justin Trudeau bersama Presiden Ukraina Volodymyr Zelenskiy. (Wikimedia Commons/President.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - Canada will offer a loan of up to C$500 million, or around IDR 5.623.023.435.000, to support Ukraine as it prepares for a possible Russian invasion, also saying it will provide equipment and lethal ammunition worth C$7.8 million, around IDR 87.719.165.586, said the prime minister on Monday.

"The purpose of support from Canada and our other partners is to prevent Russia from committing aggression against Ukraine," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters, citing Reuters February 15.

While citing CTV News, PM Trudeau said the pledge differed from the previously announced $120 million loan, as well as non-lethal weapons Canada had provided Ukraine.

Prime Minister Trudeau said he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last Saturday to reaffirm Canada's support as Russian troops scout Ukraine's eastern border.

In addition, PM Trudeau also spoke with other European leaders over the weekend as fears of war in the region grew.

Prime Minister Trudeau said the weapons and ammunition were in response to a special request from Ukraine, which has received weapons from the United States, Britain, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Poland.

"The situation is rapidly escalating and we are showing our resolve," Trudeau told a news conference on Parliament Hill.

"It is important for Canada and the world to know that Canada will continue to support Ukraine and its independence, integrity (and) sovereignty, including its right to defend itself," he stressed.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Canadian National Congress President Alexandra Chyczij praised the announcement, saying the decision to send arms marked a "major policy change" that put Canada in line with the democratic coalition helping Ukraine.

"In this very difficult time for Ukraine, Canada is again showing that it is a true friend of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people," Chyczij said.

For information, On Sunday the Canadian Department of Defense announced the military was removing troops from Ukraine, in one of the strongest signals that a Russian invasion was imminent.

The department said the soldiers, who had been in Ukraine as part of a training mission, were being temporarily transferred to other places in Europe. For security reasons, the number and place of their transfer are not stated.

Additionally, Canada's Federal Government has also closed its embassy in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, with Foreign Minister Melanie Joly having urged Canadians remaining in the country to leave immediately.