Ukraine welcomes Australian support, calls for more aid
Dominic Giannini |
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has joined Volodymyr Zelenskiy and world leaders on a virtual hook-up to express support for the Ukrainian president ahead of a key meeting.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko called for further international pressure on Russia ahead of Mr Zelenskiy’s meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Monday (local time).
The coalition of the willing, which includes more than 30 nations united in their support for Ukraine, held a phone call overnight (AEST) convened by US Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Mr Myroshnychenko welcomed Australia’s support, saying international pressure needed to remain on Russia, including by choking its economy with sanctions to impede its ability to wage war.
“It’s important you’re part of it and Australia is committed,” he told AAP.
“The main purpose of the coalition of the willing was to help Ukraine win the war on just terms and the way to do it is to put pressure on Russia, put new sanctions on Russia.
“What’s important is the consistency of that. What’s important is Australia keeps on going it.”
Australia has committed $1.5 billion in support for Ukraine, with the last military aid package of 49 Abrams tanks announced in October 2024.
The ambassador called for more support to aid Ukraine’s defences, including further armoured personnel vehicles.
“We would be very grateful for more assistance,” he said.
“At the end of the day, Russia didn’t commit to anything, they didn’t say they were going to stop.
“Any security guarantees for Ukraine includes a strong military.”
Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said Australia remained committed to Ukraine, and while it couldn’t move the dial on the war alone, it was effective when it joined like-minded countries.
“Obviously, we want to see peace but it can’t come at the expense of the Ukrainian people and their territorial integrity,” he told Sky News on Monday.
Mr Thistlethwaite said he wouldn’t pre-empt “what the prime minister may or may not announce over the coming days” when asked about the possibility of further sanctions against Russia.
European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, will join Mr Zelenskiy in Washington.
The UK, French, German, Italian and Finnish leaders will also attend amid concerns the Trump administration could walk back support of the embattled nation as Russia pushes to keep land it has annexed from Ukraine.
It follows Mr Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska over the weekend, when the pair discussed a peace plan following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
No agreements were announced, but US envoy Steve Witkoff said Russia had agreed to some concessions and “game-changing” security guarantees.
Ukraine has rejected ceding any territory to Russia under a ceasefire or peace deal.
Mr Zelenskiy has called for a security guarantee, similar to the NATO pact which has a mutual defence article stating that an attack on one member is an attack on all members.
Ukraine isn’t a NATO member but wants to join the alliance, something Russia opposes.
Mr Witkoff said Mr Putin had agreed to allow the US and European nations to offer Ukraine a security guarantee during his meeting with Mr Trump, but Russia still believes NATO membership is “a red flag”.
“We were able to win the following concession, that the United States could offer article five-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” he told CNN.
This concession “was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that”, he said.
AAP
