Foreign Affairs committee  The talks that are taking place in northern Ukraine on the border with Belarus are taking place between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of Russia. They're not taking the place with NATO or anybody else. It was President Zelensky who asked for a meeting, and then they debated about where it would be and the terms and conditions of the meeting.

Foreign Affairs committee  I'm not sure I can answer that question easily, except to make a general point, and that is, I think it's true that many countries did not take the threat of a Russian invasion as seriously as we all should have. I'm not being critical of any one country or another, but I think there will be lots of historians who want the answer.

Foreign Affairs committee  I'm afraid I have to go, Mr. Chair. I apologize to the members of the committee. However, my very able colleagues will be able to answer, perhaps less provocatively than me. I can see them looking at me rather uneasily as I answer.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Foreign Affairs committee  I can't, but maybe Heidi Hulan can, so I'll leave it to her.

Foreign Affairs committee  Sandra, do you have an additional point that you want to make there?

Foreign Affairs committee  The issue of NATO membership is determined by all the members. I think it's fair to say that there may not have been complete unanimity before about which countries should join or whether indeed there was a formal application to join. In order for things to happen, you need a formal application and process of discussion.

Foreign Affairs committee  If you look at my tweets, you'll see that it says very carefully that these are my personal views. It occasionally gets me into trouble. Mr. Bergeron knows that quite well. I hope we do, though. A lot of things have happened in the last several weeks that I hope are making it easier for things that need to be done to get done.

Foreign Affairs committee  I'm going to put Monsieur Gionet on the spot. He's the representative from IRCC. I know that the minister is looking at whatever means he can to facilitate. I don't know.... Is Mr. Gionet there?

Foreign Affairs committee  I would prefer not to get into that, Mr. Chair, not because I'm avoiding the question, but because, as we say in court, I think it asks for speculation on my part. I would say this, however. I have been following Mr. Putin for a long time—what he says and what he does—and I've found that, particularly with respect to this issue of Ukraine, his attitude is terrible.

Foreign Affairs committee  On the first question, Mr. Chair, I would say that in January, Russia joined the four other nuclear powers— the United States, China, France and the U.K.—to indicate that a nuclear war could never be won, and that there was no justification for the use of nuclear weapons. It was a statement made on the eve of a UN conference that didn't happen because of COVID, but it was still a very important statement.

Foreign Affairs committee  On the first point, Mr. Chair, I can give Mr. Davies my assurance that there will be more forthcoming. That's guaranteed. The UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, which is the coordinating body for all the humanitarian work we do, is putting out a call for a large contribution. There will be a resolution in the General Assembly this week, which is being prepared by Mexico and France, that will do the same, and it will clearly call for a very substantial donation by member countries.

Foreign Affairs committee  I hope it didn't seem as though I was avoiding your question. That is never my intention. Having spent a lot of time in the House of Commons, I never appreciated when people would dodge a question, so I don't want to be one of them. As I said in response to Ms. Bendayan's question, some banks, institutions and individuals have yet to be named.

Foreign Affairs committee  There isn't any reluctance. I didn't hear any reservations expressed when I spoke with Ms. Anand, the Minister of National Defence. I think the most important thing to do is identify what Ukraine needs and what our partner countries are doing to deal with the problem. We are in the process of examining everything we can do to heighten the impact of our assistance to Ukraine.

Foreign Affairs committee  Given that Belarus is a country under illegal occupation by the Russians, it is naturally important for the world to ensure that new countries do not have access to nuclear weapons. This remains a concern for Canada. Concerning the discussions between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, no ceasefire was agreed upon, which means that the war is continuing.