Canada and Latvia will begin joint combat training for junior officers of the Ukrainian army next week. The announcement was made at a joint press conference in Ottawa by Canadian and Latvian Defense Ministers Anita Anand and Ināra Mūrniece, BBC reports.
The training will take place in Latvia, and officers will be taught how to lead personnel in combat, develop operations, intelligence, coordinate with other units, and give and execute orders.
This program will complement the training provided by Canadian instructors to the Ukrainian military in the UK, Poland and several other NATO countries.
Last year, Ottawa provided Ukraine with $750 million in military aid, including tanks, armored vehicles, surface-to-air missiles, howitzers, and ammunition.
Moreover, since 2015, after russia's annexation of Crimea, Canada has helped train tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, and in early May, President Zelensky discussed long-term defense cooperation with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau.
Background. Earlier, it was reported that Latvia would give Ukraine all the Stinger man-portable air defense systems it has.