Canada has yet to deliver promised NASAMS air defense to Ukraine, one year after announcement

According to CTVnews, one of the two companies involved in building the NASAMS system says it does not have a contract for the planned donation, which was originally announced on Jan. 10, 2023.

Initially, the Canadian government intended to pay the entire cost of the system to the U.S., allowing Washington to enter into a foreign military sales agreement directly with Kyiv.

That arrangement would allow Canada to avoid having to ask the U.S. government for further approval to send the system to Ukraine, which would otherwise be required any time American military technology is sold outside the country.

While Canada paid for the NASAMS system last March, it remains unclear exactly when it will be delivered to Ukraine. A spokesperson for Canada’s Defense Ministry stated that they are currently working with their U.S. counterparts to determine a timeline.

Kyiv says the medium-range missile systems are critical to defending its territory from Russian bombardments. NASAMS systems are capable of shooting down aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ramping up pressure to make sure the delivery faces no further delays.

"Our entire diplomatic team, everyone in charge of communicating with partners, and all Ukrainian representatives around the world are fully committed to ensuring the delivery of additional air defense systems and ammunition," he wrote on X (Twitter) on Jan. 4 after a conversation with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"I am grateful to Prime Minister Trudeau for his willingness to assist us in protecting the Ukrainian sky, particularly by providing additional NASAMS systems and missiles.”

It is not clear whether he was referring to the system Canada agreed to pay for last year, or if the two spoke about a new donation. The Prime Minister's Office did not respond to questions on the matter.