OTTAWA—Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion is travelling to Ukraine this weekend to express Canada’s support for the eastern European country that lost the Crimean Peninsula to Russia in 2014.

Dion announced the trip in the House of Commons today as he faced a barrage of criticism from Opposition Conservatives about his decision to engage Russia more broadly.

Dion says Canada remains a steadfast friend of Ukraine, but will be open to talking to Russia because it could serve Canada’s needs, including in the Arctic where the two countries have shared interests.

Dion says Canada will also criticize Russia directly for its invasion of Ukraine and its interference in that country’s affairs.

Conservative MP Dean Allison is accusing Dion of getting cosy with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

There are about 1.3 million Canadians of Ukrainian descent, a group that is viewed as an important voting group.

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