Interviewer: There is another neighbor—now definitely hostile: Belarus. Lately, it feels like Belarus has become a bit too present in Ukrainian life.

It’s constantly Lukashenko this, something from Belarus that… So Lukashenko heard our warnings, right?

Budanov: Judging by everything, he did. But in general, I take the Belarus issue more calmly, and we should not create another enemy for ourselves.

I don’t mean that we ourselves are escalating or exaggerating anything. No. But having another enemy and another combat zone is definitely not in our interest.

So the fact that they heard us is a very correct step.

Source: RBC-Ukraine

Interviewer: And if the peace process and all the negotiations do not lead to anything concrete, how much longer can both we and the aggressor keep fighting?

Budanov: We can keep fighting—believe me—for years.

Interviewer: Years? Five?

Budanov: Why are you saying five?

Interviewer: Well, you need some kind of benchmark—more or less.

Here has always been this traditional, stereotypical view—especially before the full-scale invasion—that Russia has an enormous amount of resources: territory, people, forests, oil…

Budanov: That stereotype is true. If we are talking about Ukraine alone and Russia alone, then yes, you are right. But we are not alone.

And that is what I am telling you: the main thing is that we do not lose our friends, partners, and allies.

Source: RBC-Ukraine

Today, we are launching the NATO Drone Edge Initiative. Through this initiative, allies are investing over 40 billion dollars in counter-drone capabilities over the next five years.

Allies are also committing to train five times as many drone operators in their armed forces by the end of 2027.

The assumptions that had shaped decades of Canadian defense and foreign policy have been upended.

Put another way, history is back with a vengeance. We face numerous and growing threats, from incursions in our Arctic to attacks in our cyberspace.

The nature of warfare is changing rapidly, driven by a proliferation of drones, autonomous systems, hypersonic missiles, to name a few.

More menacingly, authoritarian regimes are increasingly assertive. The burdens within our traditional alliances are shifting, and middle powers such as Canada are seeking greater strategic autonomy through partnerships amongst the like-minded.

We must meet both the realities of a changing climate and that new geopolitical landscape.

Today, as part of our commitments to defend Canada and to support our allies, I’m pleased to announce that Canada has selected TKMS as the preferred supplier for Canada’s patrol submarine project.

The United States and several of its leading defense companies — including Anduril, Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon — have agreed new industrial cooperation initiatives with major European players in the defense sector, like Diehl, PGZ, and Rheinmetall.

This will allow us to produce or sustain key American capabilities such as Abrams tanks, AMRAAMs, ATACMS, the Barracuda 500M, small diameter bombs, and Stingers here in Europe.

Following the success of its original IMECE Earth observation satellite, Türkiye is announcing an ambitious plan for the development of two additional high-resolution satellites.

They will be built here in Türkiye by the TUBITAK Space Institute with a contract worth over 300 million US dollars.

Türkiye has also signed contracts with ASELSAN for the development of low earth orbit satellites and military communication systems, as well as the procurement and development of early warning radar systems within the scope of the Steel Dome National Integrated Air Defense Architecture.

These contracts are worth in total over 350 million dollars, and they will enhance Türkiye’s ability to remain connected on the battlefield and their detection and early warning capabilities.

Six allies have come together to develop and deliver low-cost cruise and ballistic missiles at scale.

Another initiative includes the development of a prototype for a generic NATO 155-millimeter munition, which is complemented by a new NSPA contract to procure even more of this important caliber.

Our host nation, Türkiye, has also committed to procuring a significant number of ATMACA land-based long-range cruise missiles.

All together, these initiatives are worth approximately 1.6 billion dollars.