Ukrainian Officer Cadets to Train at Royal Canadian Military College in Quebec, Says Trudeau

The prime minister of Canada Justin Trudeau speaks during a joint press conference with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 10, 2023. (Alexey Furman/Getty Images)

Ukrainian officer cadets will take part in an “intensive training program” at the Canadian military’s Royal Military College in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., as part of a NATO-developed partnership, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Mr. Trudeau made the announcement while speaking to reporters in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 12 as the NATO Leaders’ Summit comes to a close after several days of discussions between NATO allies.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a press release following Mr. Trudeau’s announcement that the Royal Military College Saint-Jean will accept a number of officer cadets from Ukraine this summer for an “intense three-week training program developed in partnership with NATO through the Defence Education Enhancement Programme.”

“The training builds on Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) training in support of Ukraine currently underway in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Latvia,” the PMO said.

Mr. Trudeau said the new training program for Ukrainian cadets also comes as Canada has already helped train nearly 40,000 Ukrainian military personnel through CAF’s “Operation REASSURANCE” based in Latvia.

The prime minister announced on July 10 while visiting Latvia that Canada would also be investing $2.6 billion into the operation over a three-year term starting in 2023 to “renew and expand” it, and said the Canadian military will be more than doubling the number of personnel it has stationed in Latvia over that same time period.

Spending Measures

Mr. Trudeau also announced a number of other spending measures on July 12, one of which is an additional $48.8 million for NATO’s “Comprehensive Assistance Package” (CAP) for Ukraine.

The investment, which builds upon Ottawa’s previous commitment of over $34 million for CAP in April, is intended to “support NATO’s provision of non-lethal practical assistance to Ukraine through donations of material including fuel, bridging equipment, rations, and first aid,” according to the PMO.

In addition, Mr. Trudeau announced on July 12 that Canada would be sending Ukraine $2.7 million in “cyber security assistance ... to support efforts to counter malicious cyber activity in the face of evolving cyber risks and threats.”

Furthermore, Canada and a number of its allies signed a statement during the NATO Leaders’ Summit, establishing a joint coalition to train the Ukrainian Air Force in the use and maintenance of F-16 fighter jets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been calling on NATO leaders to admit his country into the treaty and Mr. Trudeau had previously announced support of the measure.

The NATO Leaders’ Summit came to a close this week without the treaty’s allies coming to an agreement on admitting Ukraine into the organization.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.