National Defence Committee on Dec. 9th, 2025

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

There you go. That's better for you.

In your opening remarks, you clearly stated that the fight you're waging to defend your values, dignity and integrity is also a fight for democracy. It's worth noting that a large diaspora of people from your country, Ukrainians living across Quebec, have clearly let us know the urgency of your situation, and I believe they are having a profound impact.

Among your priorities you mentioned air defence components. To my knowledge, Canada is not a leading western military force with the capacity to play its role to the full. You had a good discussion about that with my colleagues.

I would rather talk with you about reconstruction, but I hope that doesn't give you the impression that I'm minimizing the challenges confronting you. I want to talk to you about reconstruction because your opening remarks suggest that a lot of work will need to be done, especially in the energy sector. You spoke at length about the destruction of electrical power infrastructure.

Quebec has gained special expertise in that field. I'd like to know how we can help you in that regard even before peace negotiations take place or a ceasefire has been reached. Looking ahead, I get a sense that rebuilding this infrastructure is going to play a vital role in restoring a semblance of normality.

[Andrii Plakhotniuk]

I've been addressing primarily the issues of defence support from the Canadian government and from the Canadian state, but when it comes to energy infrastructure, we are also grateful for the support we receive from the Canadian government for specific energy sectors. In November, I think, foreign minister Anita Anand declared that another $10 million Canadian will be directed from the previous packages to support our critical needs and infrastructure.

We are working with Canadian businesses here at the federal level but also with provinces to get this most urgently needed equipment to be better prepared for this winter. Of the challenges that we now face, I will give you only one. Even in the city of Kyiv, which is one of the best protected places in Ukraine, during the day, there could be times when we don't have electricity supply for up to 16 hours. This illustrates the critical situation we're now facing, because the Russians continue to deliberately target this area.

When it comes to energy equipment, we have a number of things we need. Not everything can be obtained from Canada, because we have different voltage systems and different technical specifications, but certainly there are some items we are receiving, and we are grateful for that.

One issue that could be solved in a quick way is to support what is being done now. You can support financially other initiatives of the European Union and other partners by providing financial resources so that this equipment can be bought on European markets and delivered as soon as possible to the Ukrainian side. This is a constant priority for us. We are working on that, and we are working with all our Canadian friends to get more equipment that we need.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

What you just said is very interesting.

Through the assistance that you receive from your European partners, we currently know that the military is in need of critical minerals, aluminum, defence-critical metals and military equipment. Unfortunately, the supply chains for many of these critical minerals, like aluminum, are often controlled by Russia and China.

Quebec is the main producer of aluminum supplied to the United States. The federal government is also in the midst of developing a comprehensive critical minerals strategy. Do you think that components like these could help, at least within the military equipment supply chain? Would they be helpful to you?

When it comes to trade with Europe in critical minerals and strategic defence components, is there any role that Canada can play in that regard?

[Andrii Plakhotniuk]

Thank you for these remarks and comments.

Canada is playing a strategic and very important role worldwide. How to support and deepen our co-operation in critical minerals was one of the major issues during the recent conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, which was organized for the first time here in Toronto. This issue is being discussed. We have the memorandum of understanding between Natural Resources Canada and our Minister of Energy. This is a very promising sphere for our bilateral co-operation. We are now scaling up and we are intensifying this co-operation and these discussions with all our partners here.

[The Chair, Liberal, Charles Sousa]

Thank you.

We're on our second round.

Mr. Kibble, you have up to five minutes.

[Jeff Kibble, Conservative, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Ambassador, for being here today.

Last summer, I was at the Invictus Games in Vancouver, and I saw some severely injured Ukrainian soldiers competing in sport there. Their courage and spirit that I saw was just incredible, and I think that's a reflection of your armed services right now. I'm glad that we mentioned Operation Unifier earlier, a mission that started under the Conservative government at the time.

You mentioned critical minerals. Which ones specifically are really important for you right now?

[Andrii Plakhotniuk]

What I mentioned was that we have the framework agreement between the two energy departments—here in Canada and Ukraine. This is considered one of the promising spheres. Certainly, the experts and the ministers are now working in order to have more co-operation in this sphere.

[Jeff Kibble, Conservative, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

We heard about aluminum. Was there any another critical mineral that—

[Andrii Plakhotniuk]

Yes. It's also very important when it comes to defence production.

[Jeff Kibble, Conservative, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Okay. Thank you.

You mentioned the 287,000 attacks on civilian infrastructure. What other war crimes are being committed by the Russians right now?

[Andrii Plakhotniuk]

War crimes are committed daily. I mentioned critical infrastructure destruction, but when it comes to our abducted children, up to 20,000 of them are now in Russia. The major problem is that we see no will and no determination from their side to return these children. We are talking about children who are growing up and facing this propaganda. Their biometrics are being changed. They are being illegally adopted. There are many other problems.

In this sense, Canada is co-chairing with us the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. We are grateful for all the efforts that Canada, together with all our partners around the world, are making in order to bring our kids back. We are also talking about the crime of ecocide, where we understand that a lot of damage is being done to nature.

These are deliberate things. When it comes to documenting the evidence of these crimes, the international co-operation and the co-operation with Canada and all our partners is very important.

[Jeff Kibble, Conservative, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

That's absolutely brutal.

There are peace negotiations being attempted at the moment. What are some hard lines that Ukraine will not give up in those negotiations?

[Andrii Plakhotniuk]

Thank you for asking this question.

The first thing I would like to mention is that we stand ready to be engaged as constructively as possible and as quickly as possible to find a solution that would lead us to a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace for Ukraine. Certainly, dozens of discussions happen every day with American partners, with European partners and with Canada. Today, there was a phone conversation between our President and Prime Minister Carney to exchange ideas and exchange views on how to move forward with that.

My President mentioned yesterday that Ukrainians wouldn't be trading their territories. We have our constitution. We have our legislation, which clearly says we cannot abandon the territories that belong to our sovereign territory. This is a very strong red line for us. We understand that the discussions will continue. Our Ukrainian and European proposals are being finalized right now when it comes to security guarantees and how we see all the processes. We'll be ready to share our vision with our American partners.

Once again, we Ukrainians are not ready for capitulation and we are not ready for peace at any price.

[Jeff Kibble, Conservative, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

You mentioned earlier the technological race. Ukraine has been instrumental in modernizing drone warfare and has seen huge success. Do you feel that the Russians are catching up on this technology? Are you worried about this?

[Andrii Plakhotniuk]

Certainly, we are concerned with a couple of things. One thing is that despite the sanctions regime and despite all the sanctions we have now, which are very important, they are still able to get spare parts to support their wartime efforts to produce missiles and to produce drones using western technologies and western equipment. This is one thing we are very concerned about.

The second thing is that we see they're also developing their technological capabilities. This is a constant process that we as western countries who share the same values cannot and must not lose.

[Jeff Kibble, Conservative, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Very quickly, in your opinion, do you feel that countries like NATO allies and Canada need to be upgrading and modernizing their drone technologies right now to catch up?

[Andrii Plakhotniuk]

I think this process has already started. What we can do is contribute to that very actively by producing together for both Ukrainian needs and those of our partners in Canada, Europe and elsewhere.

[Jeff Kibble, Conservative, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Ambassador.

[The Chair, Liberal, Charles Sousa]

Thank you.

Mr. Malette, you have up to five minutes.

[Chris Malette, Liberal, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Ambassador Plakhotniuk, we're most honoured to have you here today.

Today, in the House, we were debating Bill S-210, an act to designate a Ukrainian heritage month in Canada. We're doing our bit in an official capacity to recognize that outside of Russia, Canada, I believe, has the largest diaspora of Ukrainians anywhere in the world. We have a long and close relationship, and that includes me, as I have Ukrainian heritage. This means an awful lot to me and the 1.4 million Canadians who share a Ukrainian heritage.

As my first question for you today, Ambassador, what areas of Canadian military assistance, in your estimation, have been most valuable to this point to Ukraine, and where do you see the future opportunities for deeper co-operation? We touched on that just at the end of the last comment.

[Andrii Plakhotniuk]

First, let me respond to your remarks about Ukrainian heritage month. It is absolutely profoundly important for all of us. This is a very important thing.

When it comes to what is most valuable, I would say that everything we have received so far really changes the situation on the battlefield. It saves people's lives. It saves the lives of our military. Everything matters. I don't want to say something is more important or something is less important. Training is important, air defence is important and joint defence production is also very important.

What I think at this stage is that we should be talking about how to ramp up our joint production, how to establish new enterprises, how to establish joint ventures and how to make Ukrainians stronger at a time when we will have to be engaged in genuine negotiations with the Russians, together with our partners, and make our partners more resilient.

We have most urgent priorities, and number one is air defence. We need ammunition. As our country is fighting this existential war, which is continental warfare, we need everything. It's obvious to all of us, but certainly we have priorities. To achieve these priorities, we need to produce more altogether. Collectively, our technological potential and our economic potential cannot be compared with the potential of the Russian Federation. We are much stronger.

[Chris Malette, Liberal, Bay of Quinte, ON]

To continue in that vein, Ambassador—and I don't want to get too much into the weeds on the numbers or anything that may be confidential—could you quantify how that co-operation is right now? I'm sure, as you're stressing, it could increase exponentially, but where are we right now and where conceivably could we go in the very near future? As you know, time is of the essence when a country such as Ukraine is under such immense threat.

[Andrii Plakhotniuk]

One thing that was mentioned publicly here was the training of the Ukrainian military. It's important, and certainly it should be continued.

We have a number of initiatives and have a number of areas where we should co-operate more closely. I mentioned production. We also discussed and mentioned drone technologies and the relevant spheres. Canada possesses very good and sophisticated technologies and excellent international expertise. We will certainly need this expertise, and we will certainly be able to contribute in turn to Canada with our knowledge from the battlefield.

[Chris Malette, Liberal, Bay of Quinte, ON]

In closing, what would you want the average citizen of Canada to know, Ambassador, about what life is like for the average citizen in Ukraine? You touched on the fact that with the attacks on the electrical grid, you have outages for up to 16 hours. What I don't think a lot of Canadians understand is that the cold we're experiencing in Ottawa right now is the same cold being experienced by your country in some months. Are there any misconceptions you would like to counter, or stories of heroism you would like to amplify?

[Andrii Plakhotniuk]

First, I have a couple of things from myself representing Ukrainians. People—ordinary Ukrainians, military—are very tired, because this war started not almost four years ago but back in 2014. For us, it's absolutely an existential thing. We understand that if Russia stops the war, withdraws its troops and pays reparations, then peace will come to Ukraine. However, if we stop fighting, there will be no Ukraine.

The second point is that we are profoundly grateful to all Canadians and to all partners and citizens from different countries for all the support we get. It's really important for you to understand and to know that whatever you do is well known to ordinary Ukrainians in the streets. I think those of you distinguished members of the standing committee who visited Ukraine had an opportunity to talk to ordinary Ukrainians and to understand that when it comes to Canada and Canadians, we in Ukraine understand that you stand on the side of the light, supporting us with your commitment and your solidarity by opening your hearts and your doors to Ukrainians here in Canada. These are two very important messages.

The third message is that, in these most challenging times, we should be strong in our unity, because for Ukraine it's now or never.