You have to know that that could be the worst possible timing ever for a dog to tap at the door to want to get out.
Mr. Chair, I want to thank both of our panellists for being here today, for sharing their expertise and also their incredibly valuable time at a very volatile time in our history. I'll tell you it's very good to be back on the national defence committee. I served from 2015 to 2019.
I want to be very clear when I say that Canada is a friend to Ukraine and to the Ukrainian people. I was fortunate, blessed, with the ability and the opportunity to visit Ukraine a few years ago with this very committee. I met with some amazing people, with some locals and with some world leaders, and I have to tell you that it was one of the finest visits I've ever made.
As you know, Canada has clearly condemned Russia's continued threats and buildup of their military around Ukraine. Although we're all calling for and hoping for a diplomatic solution, we have other tools in the tool chest. As the ministers have said, any further aggression on the part of Russia will be met with consequences.
Now I'd like to talk about Operation Unifier, which our government has just extended and we're expanding. When it comes to Ukraine's armed forces preparedness, how is Operation Unifier helping to prepare Ukraine's defence team for this increasing Russian aggression in the region?
I'll go to Ihor on this as we've met several times in the past.