Canada's prime minister is headed to Ukraine as the first leader among the Group of Seven nations to visit the eastern European nation since pro-Western demonstrators drove out its government last month.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will meet new Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Saturday.
The trip comes a few days before G-7 nations hold an emergency meeting on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit.
Russia in recent days has moved military forces into the Crimean Peninsula, backed a referendum in which the Crimean people overwhelmingly voted to join Russia and annexed the strategically important region.
The G-7 includes the United States, Britain, Germany, Japan, France, Italy and Canada.
Canada is home to more than 1 million people of Ukrainian descent.
