"The Canadian government's decision to extend the military mission in Ukraine is counterproductive and does not facilitate intra-Ukrainian political process, including direct dialogue between Kyiv and Donbas, as prescribed by the Minsk accords," Russia's Embassy in Canada wrote on Twitter on March 6, 2017.

The statement says that "Canada should exert pressure on the authorities in Kyiv to implement their obligations under the Minsk accords and concentrate on reaching a peaceful solution instead of pursuing military ventures."

Comment on the decision of the Canadian Government to extend its military mission in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/ArtTDne6sP — Russia in Canada (@RussianEmbassyC) March 6, 2017

As UNIAN reported earlier, Canada's Minister of National Defense Harjit S. Sajjan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland on March 6 announced the extension of Operation UNIFIER, the Canadian Armed Forces military training mission in Ukraine, until the end of March 2019.

The Canadian Armed Forces will also be transitioning over time to support strategic institutional reform of Ukraine's defense establishment.

Canada has provided a broad range of assistance (development, financial, humanitarian, non-lethal military) to Ukraine, totaling more than $700 million since January 2014.

In particular, Canada has contributed over $16 million in non-lethal military equipment to Ukraine's armed forces.