The Harper government wants to know what former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien said in his meeting Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

And Defence Minister Jason Kenney said he hopes Chrétien delivered the same message the Conservatives always send these days to the Russian leader — get out of Ukraine.

The reports by Russia's news agency that Chrétien met Putin in one of his palaces near Moscow on Thursday appeared to catch the Conservatives off-guard.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with former prime minister Jean Chretien in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday. (Alexei Nikolsky/Pool/Associated Press)

The meeting was a slap to the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which has moved to politically isolate the Russian leader, blaming him for the unrest in Ukraine and Russia's annexation of Crimea last year.

"I haven't been briefed on what happened. I'm not sure if Mr. Chrétien has chosen to brief our mission in Moscow. We would be curious to know what was discussed," Kenney said during a symposium on Canada's security relations with the European Union.

"All I can tell you is that the government of Canada has taken whatever opportunity we've had in meeting Mr. Putin, such as Prime Minister Harper's brief encounter with him at the margins of the G20 in Melbourne, to be very clear about our insistence that Russia get out of Ukraine.

"We would hope that Mr. Chrétien would have taken — availed himself — of the opportunity to convey the same message."

Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson made a similar comment when asked on Parliament Hill Thursday about the meeting.

Harper has avoided direct contact with Putin, save for a brief and memorable handshake at the G20 summit in Australia last year, at which he tersely told the Russian leader to "get out" of Ukraine.

What did Chrétien say?

Harper's spokesman Stephen Lecce said the government wants to know what Chrétien told Putin.

"Mr. Chrétien was clearly not representing the government of Canada at this meeting," Lecce said in an email. "Our government's position on the Putin regime is clear."

A spokesman for Chrétien did not respond to a request for comment.

Liberal foreign affairs critic Marc Garneau said he did not have information about Chretien's meeting but expected details of it will emerge.

In an interview, Garneau said that although his party's position on Russia and Ukraine is "in sync with the government," he said the door should not be shut to direct engagement.

"We can still be tough on them but keep the door open."

In the TASS news agency report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying Chrétien and Putin "discussed the painful points of current international situation."

"It's well known they have friendly relations or I'd even say relations of partnership," he continued.

Canada takes hard line

Unlike his fellow G7 leaders, Harper has chosen not to engage Putin over the crisis in Ukraine and has used strong language to personally blame the Russian leader for it.

Stephen Harper walks past Russia's Vladimir Putin at the 2013 G20 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. At a G20 meeting late last year in Australia, Harper shook Putin's hand but told him, 'You need to get out of Ukraine,' according to the PMO. (Canadian Press)

The Russians have hit back. Its embassy in Ottawa recently said it is both "counterproductive and deplorable" for the government to deploy 200 Canadian Forces soldiers to Ukraine as trainers to improve the combat skills of troops there.

Ukraine's visiting foreign minister, Pavlo Klimkin, called it a joke that Russia characterized Canadian's military mission that way.

The Canadian Forces trainers will bring Ukraine's soldiers and national guard up to a higher standard so they can better repel Russian aggressors, Klimkin told a news conference in Ottawa.

Klimkin was in Ottawa to meet Nicholson, who announced seven new projects worth $14 million to strengthen human rights, improve access to justice and give support to civil society in Ukraine.