Source: The Conversation – Canada
On Sept. 9, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Calgary with the aim of reinforcing the partnership between Ukraine and Canada.
The visit comes at an important moment for Ukraine. This year, Ukraine has done considerable damage to Russia’s industry and war machine. Ukraine’s position on the frontlines is the best it has been since 2023, with Ukrainian forces no longer yielding territory and actually regaining limited ground.
Yet Ukraine’s diplomatic position has deteriorated. Donald Trump’s assumption of the American presidency and his antagonistic relationship with Zelenskyy have weakened Ukraine’s international position. As a result, Ukraine’s relationships with other allies become all the more important.
The initial results of Zelenskyy’s trip underscored the strength of the Canada-Ukraine relationship. Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to a 100-year pact to co-operate on security and economic matters, while the two countries also agreed to share drone technology.
It is important to note, however, that this co-operation is not a one-directional relationship. Canada and Ukraine deepening their bonds serves both countries’ interests in an increasingly unstable world.
The need for co-operation
The logic behind this relationship can be found in Carney’s Davos speech in 2025, in which he argued that, for middle powers to survive, they need to increase their co-operation.
While many Canadians saw this as a response to Trump’s second term, there was already a glaring example of the need for co-operation among the world’s middle powers.
Russia’s direct assault against Ukraine in 2022, after nearly a decade of hybrid war efforts, symbolized a shift in international affairs. Great Powers, or those with aspirations to such status, were taking increased liberties with other countries.
To Canada’s credit, it has been one of the foremost supporters of Ukraine. Even before the direct invasion in 2022, Canadian soldiers helped train Ukrainian soldiers and officers. This training helped give Ukraine a critical advantage in the early stage of the war.
The direct conflict phase of the war, however, is now in its fifth year. Ukraine needs consistent and sustained support to carry on its war. Carney, in his meetings with Zelenskyy, is providing that support at a moment of need for Ukraine.
Co-operation is self-interest
There are ideological reasons for Canada’s support of Ukraine. The long-standing connections between the two countries, as well as Ukraine’s desire to escape Russian hegemony to pursue increased democratic reforms, are all noble goals.
What individuals often failed to note in Carney’s Davos speech, however, is that it is not noble goals that encourage co-operation between middle powers. Instead, it is self-interest.
At a global level, middle powers’ self-interest in co-operation creates a safer and more stable environment for all the world’s countries, regardless of size. At the state level, self-interested co-operation between middle powers creates ways of countering the influence of Great Powers.
Canada’s co-operation with Ukraine helps it achieve both these goals.
Lessons for Canada’s military
The war between Russia and Ukraine is one of the defining conflicts in the world today. There is a power asymmetry between the two countries, at least from a material standpoint, but Ukraine has overcome its material limitations and forced Russia into a war of attrition.
The Russia-Ukraine war is providing lessons for the world’s militaries on the shape of future conflicts between peer and near-peer states. The best way to get these lessons is through co-operating with one of the combatant parties.
Read more:
Ukraine’s drone strikes are having an impact on Russia — but Russian leaders remain committed to war
The first important lesson that Ukraine provides to its allies is which weapon systems are needed in future wars. Before a conflict begins, it is difficult for an army to ascertain which technologies and weapons will play a decisive role in its success or failure.
One weapon system that Ukraine is pioneering, and in which Canada is extremely deficient, is drones. Canada’s agreement with Ukraine, therefore, addresses one of the outstanding problems confronting the Canadian Armed Forces.
Second, Ukraine demonstrates the importance of both scale and a diverse procurement policy. One of the problems faced by the Ukrainian armed forces in 2022 was that the major producer of parts and ammunition for their Soviet-legacy equipment was, in fact, Russia.
As such, Ukraine’s limited supplies were rapidly depleted, and it took time for other equipment to arrive to help offset this issue. Domestic arms production, as well as diverse suppliers for systems that cannot be produced domestically, is vital to a country’s success in a protracted war.
By partnering with Canada to produce drones at scale within Canada, Ukraine is helping alleviate one of the Canadian Armed Forces’ biggest issues: over-reliance on American military hardware.
The geopolitical value of partnership
Ukraine has also demonstrated the importance of alliances for middle powers. Middle powers need a variety of allies and cannot rely too extensively on one country, as the United States’ pivot on Ukraine demonstrates.
Canada’s increased co-operation with Ukraine helps it acquire support and goodwill from the European Union, which views Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an existential crisis.
With Canada seeking closer ties with the European Union, supporting Ukraine at a moment of need demonstrates Canada’s alignment with European interests and can strengthen its position globally.
Ukraine and Canada have ideological reasons to partner, but more important is how the partnership will help both countries achieve their goals.
James Horncastle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Original source: https://analysis1.mil-osi.com/2026/09/11/volodymyr-zelenskyys-visit-to-canada-advances-the-interests-of-both-countries/