Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The following statement was taken from Aaron Gunn's Twitter feed - I am firmly opposed to Putin’s heinous and illegal actions in Ukraine, and his oppression of the Russian people within Russia. I have held and articulated these views publicly for years.

In early 2014, when I was still in my early 20s, I made foolish comments about Putin and Ukraine. I stopped holding those views a long time ago.

Canada must support Ukraine in their defence against Russia’s illegal invasion, including by building pipelines to tidewater to displace Russian oil and gas and stop the funding of Putin’s war machine. A point I have made consistently in documentaries and viral videos since their second illegal invasion in 2022.

Conservatives have a proud history of supporting Ukraine. It was under a Conservative government (Brian Mulroney) that on December 2, 1991, Canada became the first Western country to recognize Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union. Conservatives were the ones who successfully negotiated the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement. Stephen Harper led the charge to kick Russia out of the G7 following their invasion of Crimea. I’m proud to continue this legacy of support for Ukraine as they continue their fight against Russia’s illegal invasion.