Both Canada and the European Union confirmed on Friday their "steadfast" support for Ukraine in fighting Russia and pledged to combat climate change just days before a summit on the subject.

Leaders of Canada and the European Union said in a joint statement: "We will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes."

They continued: "We will work to meet Ukraine’s immediate military and defense needs" and ensure its security needs are "met in the long term." 

Ottawa also took the opportunity to announce an increase in its aid to Kyiv, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stating during a press conference in the city of Saint John on the Atlantic coast that "Canada will donate more than 11,000 assault rifles and over nine million rounds of ammunition."

President of the European Council Charles Michel expressed the European Union’s readiness to do "more in the coming weeks" to support Kyiv. 

For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed Ottawa’s commitment to Ukraine even before the Russian military operation in February 2022.

Von der Leyen explained: "Canada stood by Ukraine before the Russian aggression," as she described it.

She also added that Canada’s training of Ukrainian forces was "essential" for Kyiv at the start of the Ukrainian crisis.

She pointed out that the European Union has trained so far 30,000 out of 40,000 soldiers to support Ukraine’s efforts, explaining that the European Commission will "soon" announce how it intends to use the revenue from the frozen Russian assets.