Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine President Georgi Zubko and Ukraine’s Minister of Sports and Education Vadym Gutsait were present at the meeting.

The IIHF said Ukraine has pledged to build an additional 25 ice rinks, which Zubko claimed would double the number of ice hockey facilities in the country.

The Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine plans have reportedly received Government approval.

"This is great news for ice hockey development in Ukraine," said Tardif.

"Ice time and availability is a challenge for many countries that are trying to take their programs to the next level, and we welcome this decision by the Ministry of Sport and Culture to commit to more infrastructure for ice hockey."

Ukraine will hope the development of facilities would enhance their national team prospects.

The men’s national team are currently 27th in the world rankings, with their highest ranking of 11th recorded in 2003.

The men’s team have only featured at the Winter Olympics on one occasion, placing 10th at Salt Lake City 2002.

Ukraine’s women’s team are currently at their highest ever ranking of 38th.

Ukraine has mooted a bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, with the country’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirming in September they will enter the dialogue phase with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

National Olympic Committee of Ukraine President Sergey Bubka said at the time the interest in bidding for the Games could help boost the nation’s prospects in winter sport by boosting facilities in Ukraine.

While the potential Winter Olympic and Paralympic bid was mentioned with the IIHF, the governing body said no further details were shared for the time being.

A racist incident at a Ukrainian Hockey League (UHL) match was a key part of discussions.

Andriy Deniskin was given a 13-game ban after the HC Kremenchuk forward was caught mimicking peeling a banana and eating it in the direction of black American player Jalen Smereck.

The penalty was the maximum suspension permitted under the rules of the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine.

The IIHF Ethics Committee has been investigating the incident, with Tardif saying the governing body updated the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine on the ongoing process.

The organisations reportedly discussed how the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine could strengthen its sanctioning powers.

"We understand that the 13-game suspension handed down was the maximum allowed under the rules and has been fully served by the player," said Tardif.

"Nevertheless, we had a constructive discussion about the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine’s disciplinary policy and we also updated the Federation on the status of the IIHF’s disciplinary procedures in the Denyskin incident.

"In the meantime, President Zubko has clarified that they will keep the player from all national team competitions until the IIHF disciplinary procedures are concluded."

The IIHF also offered its backing to the Federation amid a dispute with some UHL teams, who had withdrawn their players from the national team in protest against the Federation.

 A separate meeting with all UHL clubs is set to be organised with the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine and the Ministry of Sport in January.