Ontario Commits $1 Million to Ukraine for Energy Infrastructure

A firefighter and police officers work at the site of a petrol station hit by a morning Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 23, 2026. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Ontario says it is donating $1 million to Ukraine to help “maintain and repair vital energy infrastructure” damaged by Russian attacks.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford made the announcement Sept. 24 in Ottawa during a meeting with an international network of lawmakers supporting Ukraine.

“As the people of Ukraine continue to defend their country against Russia’s illegal invasion and ongoing attacks, including on civilians, Ontario will always stand with those defending freedom and democracy,” Ford said.

A Sept. 24 release from Ford’s office said the contribution will go to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, which was established in April 2022 by the Energy Community Secretariat at the request of the European Commission and in agreement with Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy. The Vienna-based Energy Community Secretariat acts as the fund’s fiduciary and intermediary between donors and Ukrainian authorities.

Canada is among the fund’s donors, along with allied countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden and Norway, as well as the European Union.

The Ontario government previously donated roughly $5 million in energy equipment to Ukraine in 2024, including transformers and other equipment for the country’s electrical grid.

The new contribution comes amid ongoing Canadian federal support for Ukraine more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

On Sept. 10, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a declaration on a 100-year partnership and announced closer cooperation on defence and drone production. Canada also announced about $350 million to provide Ukraine with air-defence interceptors. Separately, Ottawa announced nearly $435 million in new loan guarantees through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to support Ukraine’s energy security, including winter gas purchases and backup electricity generation.

Ottawa said earlier this month that Canada has committed more than $26 billion in military, financial, humanitarian, and development aid since the conflict began.

Diplomatic efforts to end the war continue. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sept. 23 in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting came as Russia said there were currently no conditions for moving toward a peace-negotiation track, while maintaining that it remained open to talks.

Rubio has said Washington remains open to further discussions with Moscow. He also said the United States had invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 meeting in Miami in December, where he could meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. As of Sept. 24, the Kremlin said no decision had been made on a possible Putin-Trump summit.

Previous talks between Rubio and Lavrov in July resulted in Rubio saying Washington was ready to play a “constructive role” in efforts to end the war.