Australia is providing an additional $50 million to Ukraine on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
The money will go to the International Fund for Ukraine, which uses contributions from across the world to procure military equipment for Kyiv and provide both lethal and non-lethal support.
Australia would stand with Ukraine for as long as it took, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
“Australia has always been willing to step up,” he told parliament on Thursday.
“We do it because we’re steadfast in our commitment to global security and the international rule of law.”
The Australian government has provided about $960 million in support for Ukraine, including 120 armoured Bushmaster vehicles, six howitzers and 14 special operations vehicles.
Australian personnel have also assisted in training Ukrainian soldiers in the UK and the government has imposed a plethora of sanctions and travel bans on 1100 individuals and entities.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton also paid tribute to those in Ukraine and called the additional funding an investment in global security and democracy.
“Russia’s invasion was illegal, it was immoral, it was unprovoked, it was unjust, it was unacceptable,” he said.
“It was a reminder that the days of despots are not gone and the age of autocrats is not behind us.
“Ukrainians are not just fighting for their freedom, they are on the frontline of the battle for civilisation itself.”
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham pressed government officials on why Australia’s Ukrainian embassy hadn’t been moved back from Poland to Kyiv despite partner nations doing so.
Australia’s ambassador-designate Paul Lehmann is yet to step foot in the country after his appointment was announced two months ago.
The need for him to present his credentials to Kyiv to officially take up the post was at the behest of the Ukrainian government, Foreign Affairs Department secretary Jan Adams said.
“Therefore the timing of that is principally in the hands of the Ukrainian government and the availability of the president,” she said.
The new ambassador is in the process of arranging a visit.
The department also continued to assess the security situation, with people still spending nights in bomb shelters and Russian missiles getting through air defence systems, Ms Adams said.
“There’s not really a very safe workplace and we’re operating under Australian law,” she told a Senate hearing.
“It’s it’s a very unpredictable situation.”
Australian officials were able to do their job “quite effectively” from Poland, she added.
The former ambassador’s last visit was in late November last year and the one before in mid-August.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2021.
The invasion was in flagrant violation of the UN Charter by a member of the Security Council, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said.
“This is an anniversary we wish did not exist,” she said.
“We must recognise it’s a sombre occasion and a time, which we should again focus on the harrowing tale of Russia’s brutality.”
There have been nearly 30,000 civilian casualties, including 10,000 killed since February 2022, according to the United Nations.
Source Agencies
