A small contingent of Canadian special forces has been deployed to Ukraine to assist the Ukrainian servicemen in countering threats from Russia, Canadian Global News television channel said without citing sources.

Canadian special forces operators "have been deployed to Ukraine amid rising tensions between the NATO military alliance and Russia," the channel said.

These actions "come as diplomatic talks aimed at staving off an armed conflict in Ukraine have faltered, and an estimated 100,000 Russian troops remain camped on Ukraine's border," the channel said.

It also states that the unit has also been tasked with helping to develop evacuation plans for Canadian diplomatic personnel in "the event of a full-scale invasion."

According to media statements, a spokesperson for special operations command said that it could not confirm this report, but noted that support for the Ukrainian security forces has been periodically provided since the autumn of 2020.

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly arrived in Kyiv on a two-day visit the day before.

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, "the heads of the Ukrainian and Canadian diplomats will hold talks, the key topics of which will be counteracting Russian aggression, consolidating further steps to contain Russia, and strengthening the security sector of Ukraine."

On Monday, Joly already met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.