National Defence says Ukraine should receive by the end of the summer the 21,000 assault rifles being donated by Canada.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the latest weapons donation April 11 at a news conference after meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. Trudeau said Canada would send 21,000 assault rifles, 38 machine guns, and 2.4 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine.

Canada is spending $59 million to purchase the weapons and ammunition.

“The delivery of the equipment is projected to be completed in the coming months,” National Defence confirmed to this newspaper on Friday. The weapons being sent include M4 carbines; M4 Commandos; M16A4 rifles; M5 carbines; and C8A2 carbines, National Defence added in its statement.

The department noted that for security reasons it was not providing a breakdown on numbers of each variant.

Trudeau said the weapons will be “sourced from Colt Canada” in Kitchener, Ont.

But defence officials said parts will be brought in from the U.S. so the guns can be assembled in Canada.

The Canadian-based firearms manufacturer is owned by the Colt CZ Group which is headquartered in the Czech Republic. Colt CZ Group has production facilities in the Czech Republic, the United States, Canada and Sweden.

Eva Svobodová, spokesperson for Colt CZ Group, did not respond to the question about whether the production of the rifles would be done at Colt Canada or at the company’s various other locations around the world.

“Colt Canada will play an important role in the deliveries of assault rifles, machine guns and ammunition to the Government of Ukraine,” Svobodová said in a statement. “We are proud to be a strong and reliable partner to the Canadian, U.S., and Czech governments in helping Ukraine to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as our Western values.”

National Defence could not provide further details on the 2.4 million rounds being purchased for Ukraine. Some of the ammunition is for the small arms being provided by Canada while other ammunition is for the small arms already in use by Ukraine’s military. Many of those weapons are based on Soviet-era designs and production.

Svobodová said the ammunition will be “sourced” from Colt Canada. She did not provide further details.

Canada completed last year a $10 million shipment of small arms to Ukraine. Those included medium and heavy calibre sniper rifles and ammunition, pistols, as well as light and medium machine guns. Some were taken from Canadian military stocks while others were acquired via commercial contacts. No details were provided on those commercial contracts.

Canada has committed more than $8 billion in financial and military aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began last year.

Military assistance, which includes Leopard tanks, howitzers and armoured vehicles, has totalled $1 billion. Included in that figure is a $400 million air defence system that has yet to be delivered.

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe