Thank you, Chair.
I would also like to thank each one of you for being here today. The situation in Ukraine, as all of us know, is really deeply troubling, and our government stands with our allies in condemning the actions of President Vladimir Putin.
It would appear that President Putin is using the current turmoil as an opportunity to take control of Crimea. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Crimea has been a source of tensions between Ukraine and Russia.
Could you tell us anything about Crimea, its ethnic makeup, its constitutional position with Ukraine as an autonomous republic, its current government? From media reports, it sounds as though the Russians may be welcomed with open arms by a large part of the Crimean population.
In your opinion, would this be accurate?