Question Period Note: Russia / Ukraine

Canada's response to the crisis in Ukraine.

• Canada continues to condemn Russia's illegal annexation and occupation of Crimea as well as its ongoing support to the insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

• Canada welcomes recent diplomatic efforts, including through the Normandy Format and developments which serve as a step towards ending the conflict in the Donbas.

• Through coordinated sanctions action with the EU and U.S., Canada and the international community have sent a clear message that we will not stand by while Russia violates international law and continues to destabilize Ukraine.

• Since January 2014, Canada has committed more than $785 million in multifaceted support to Ukraine, encompassing a broad range of financial, development, stabilization and security, non-lethal military and humanitarian assistance.

• Canada engages with Russia to express our values and advance our interests; Canada's position on the unacceptability of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and ongoing support to the insurgency in eastern Ukraine will not change.

Following the Revolution of Dignity in early 2014, Ukraine's government committed to implementing democratic and economic reforms in line with its Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Russian aggression, which started in 2014 with the illegal invasion and occupation of Crimea, has drawn Ukraine into a bloody conflict in the east of the country.
In response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, ongoing support to the separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine and aggressive actions in the Black Sea, in coordination with partners and allies, Canada has imposed a broad range of sanctions against more than 430 Russian and Ukrainian individuals and entities. Canada expects Russia to fulfill its Minsk obligations and believes that sanctions are tied to the full implementation of the Minsk agreements and respect of Ukraine's sovereignty.

Since the start of the crisis, Canada has committed more than $785 million in multifaceted assistance to Ukraine, including $400 million in concessional loans to help Ukraine stabilize its economy, $277 million in bilateral development assistance projects, $84.8 million for projects in support of peace and stabilization programming in Ukraine, and over $37 million in humanitarian assistance.
Canada supports diplomatic efforts that serve towards ending the conflict. Recent developments include a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia, the agreement on the Steinmeier formula, some disengagement on the frontlines in eastern Ukraine, and Russia's return of three Ukrainian vessels it seized in November 2018. Since these developments, it has been announced that France will be hosting the next Normandy Four summit, involving leaders from Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, which will take place December 9, 2019 in Paris.

Russian Passportization
On April 24, 2019 just days after the presidential elections, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree simplifying the procedure to acquire Russian citizenship for residents of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk "People's Republics". Canada announced that it would take action to ensure these Russian passports could not be used to travel to Canada.

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