'High-priority donation': Canada to purchase NASAMS air-defense system for Ukraine

New Delhi: Canada Defense Minister Anita Anand has announced that the country will purchase a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) from the US in order to donate it to Ukraine.Describing the move as "a high-priority donation", Anand's statement came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met US President Joe Biden in Mexico.This gift is also expected to become “the first Canadian donation of an air defense system to Ukraine,” the Department of National Defense said in a statement.The assistance, valued at about $406 million, comes from the additional $500 million in military aid to Kiev announced by Ottawa in mid-November.In a tweet on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Trudeau for the true leadership in the defence of democracy."Respected @JustinTrudeau, your true leadership in the defence of democracy and human rights has been clearly demonstrated again. Thank you for helping us protect our skies. The NASAMS purchased for us by Canada will be a strong shield for our cities and citizens," he wrote in Ukranian.The NASAMS system, which can shoot down missiles, drones and warplanes, will enhance Ukraine’s air defence amid Russia’s attack on its military and energy infrastructure, Ottawa said.Moscow intensified its strikes on these Ukrainian facilities in early October in response to recurring sabotage on Russian soil orchestrated by Kiev.Ukraine is already operating US-supplied NASAMS, with the Pentagon having committed to send eight such systems to Kiev.Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov said that Canada purchasing the US-manufactured missile system for Ukraine was another demonstration of how Ottawa funnels money to fuel the Ukraine war amid numerous pressing domestic issues.“Prime Minister Trudeau’s cabinet funneling money to fuel up war and support an illegitimate regime thousand kilometers away from Canada looks ridiculous,” Stepanov was quoted as saying by Sputnik.“Ridiculous, in particular, against the backdrop of all the problems Canada suffers domestically. This is just an amused bystander observation. Of course, it’s up to the Canadians to decide if this policy is adequate,” Stepanov added.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.