Canada commits $270M to Ukraine as Carney addresses European summit in Armenia

YEREVAN — Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government will contribute $270 million to help Ukraine secure critical military capabilities in its defence against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Carney made the announcement in Armenia on Monday, where he is meeting with world leaders during the European Political Community summit, a gathering focused on strategic co-operation in politics, security and infrastructure.

The money will go toward purchasing items from a NATO list, and brings Canada’s total monetary support for Ukraine up to $25.8 billion.

“It’s part of a bigger puzzle in a conflict where Ukraine is gaining some advantage,” he told reporters.

Canada is the first non-European country to attend the summit, which has taken place twice a year since it began after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Ahead of the announcement, Carney addressed the summit of European leaders, saying countries must take on the world as it is and not through the lens of nostalgia.

Carney told the gathering that Canada is at the summit because of the “immense potential” for partnerships with Europe.

“The world is undergoing a rupture across several dimensions. In technology, in energy, in commerce and geopolitics,” Carney said.

“We have to actively take on the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. We know nostalgia is not a strategy, but we don’t think that we’re destined to submit to a more transactional, insular and brutal world.

“And gatherings such as these point to a better way forward.”

Earlier Monday, Carney met with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council. A readout from the Prime Minister’s Office says the leaders discussed deepening collaboration in areas such as supply chains, critical minerals, energy and technologies.

Carney met Sunday with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and thanked him for the invitation to attend the summit at a “crucial time” for Europe and European values.

The Prime Minister’s Office has said the trip will focus on Ukraine’s defence and drumming up more trade and investment across the continent.

He’s scheduled to meet later Monday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2026.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press