Canada to send lethal aid to Ukraine, Hungary rejects transit
While Canada, among many other countries, keeps sending lethal weapons to Ukraine, Hungary does not want to be involved.
Canada’s Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that Canada is sending an extra $20 million in military aid to Ukraine in response to Russia’s special operation there.
In a statement, Global Affairs Canada said, "Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence, announced that Canada will be sending an additional C$25M [US$20 million] ]in military aid to support Ukraine in its efforts to retain sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence."
The aids will consist of tools such as helmets, body armor, gas masks, and night vision gear, as per the statement.
The Canadian Armed Forces will also be sending two tactical transport jets and a crew of 40-50 soldiers to monitor the delivery process through NATO in Europe, the statement said.
Previously, the Canadian government had sent batches of lethal military aid to Ukraine amid tensions with Russia.
The UK follows suit
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky during a phone conversation today, Monday, that the UK would send more military support to Ukraine "in the coming hours and days," Downing Street stated.
"The Prime Minister updated President Zelensky on UK military support being sent to Ukraine, and committed to sending more in the coming hours and days," the readout of Johnson’s call with Zelensky said.
Hungary rules out transit
As for Hungary, it will not permit the transit of lethal weapons to Ukraine through its lands, for the purpose of ensuring the security of the country and citizens, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday.
"We will not allow deliveries of lethal weapons to transit the territory of Hungary... The reason for making this decision is that such deliveries might become targets of hostile military action, and I want to underline again that we have to ensure security of Hungary and the Hungarian people and ensure that we are not getting involved in that war," Szijjarto said in a Facebook post on his account.
Hungary will not send troops or weapons to #Ukraine and will not allow lethal weapons to transit its territory in order to keep the country safe: FM Peter Szijjarto
— Apex (@Apex_WW) February 28, 2022
It is true that Hungary contributed to activating the European peace system, Szijjarto continued, but it made it clear that the country will not be sending troops or arms to Ukraine, as Budapest does not want to be involved in the war.
Last Thursday, Russia launched a special operation to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine, in response to requests from the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics for assistance in combating Ukrainian troops' aggression. The special operation is only targeting Ukrainian military facilities, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, and the civilian population is not at risk. Moscow has stated that it has no intention of occupying Ukraine.