International Trade committee  As with any neighbouring countries, there are many economic ties between the two countries. The reality is that, should Russia proceed with military action, that will have massively destabilizing consequences for the entirety of the economy, and much beyond that, of course, for Ukraine.

International Trade committee  Canada has been very clear, along with our allies and partners, the G7 and the G20, that we are all collectively prepared to impose sanctions that will have massive economic consequences and impose severe costs on Russia if they choose to invade Ukraine. Again, we continue to pursue diplomatic options so that this will not be necessary, but in support of that, we are also pursuing the path of deterrence to make it clear that Russia will face these costs.

International Trade committee  You're quite correct. There are no indications of any issues with regard to Odessa. We are seeing the challenges of Russia's illegal occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea, as well as its destabilizing activities in the Donbass. There are those challenges, but not at the moment with Odessa.

International Trade committee  The sovereign loan being negotiated right now will be directed to the areas that the Government of Ukraine requests. That's currently under discussion.

International Trade committee  It would go through the export control regime. However, Ukraine is a close partner. We have not had any significant concerns with issues, so it would go through the process normally.

International Trade committee  The IMF has been supporting Ukraine through a standby arrangement, and we're continuing to see good progress. Obviously, the current uncertainty is making things more challenging, but that's one of the reasons Canada has stepped up to provide economic support, as have more and more of our G7 and NATO allies.

International Trade committee  Ukraine has undertaken a number of anticorruption reforms in its decentralization efforts, which support local services. That said, I think it would be more important to reform the legal system. Two very significant laws were passed in July. We continue to support them, including through the participation of Canadian judges.

International Trade committee  We are continuing our discussions with allies and partners to encourage LNG exports and identify other strategies to reduce their energy dependence on Russia. Not only have Germany and France stated formally that they are prepared to pursue serious action should Russia launch a military invasion of Ukraine, but so too has every country in the G7 and North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO.

International Trade committee  As my colleague clearly explained, we have confidence in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has asked us to start the discussion around modernizing the Canada–Ukraine Free Trade Agreement. Ukraine is not to blame for the current crisis. Russia is the one deploying its armed forces in the region.