Anthony Albanese has announced Australia will provide $60m more in support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion during an emotional meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN meeting in New York. With the prime minister planning to use a key speech in New York to warn that the international world order was “no longer fit for purpose”, he hugged the Ukrainian president as the latyter thanked Australia for its support. Albanese became emotional as he paid tribute to his “friend” Zelenskyy in his fight against Russian aggression.
A further $10m will go to Ukraine’s energy support fund, while $5m will be spent on humanitarian assistance. The $60m fund will bring Australia’s total contribution to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022 to $1.9bn. As part of the agreement, Australia will also step up training to help Ukrainian forces deter and repel any future Russian attacks.
It will also look to explore co-operation for training centres and jointly produce air-defence measures, missiles and drones. The prime minister said the agreement was a proud day for Australians in seeking to uphold international laws. Zelenskyy said the agreement was the “strongest document between our countries”, and would increase trade and security.
It was a busy day of diplomacy for Albanese, who was addressing the Atlantic Council with a major speech on foreign policy and also signed a new strategic partnership with the Netherlands, seeking to boost defence ties and secure justice for the victims of MH17. In his speech, the prime minister was expected to say that the international world order set up following the second world war was no longer fit for purpose and that institutions that were necessary post-1945 were not enough to meet present-day challenges. The prime minister will use the speech on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly in New York to argue partnerships with alliances remain crucial in a rapidly changing global environment.
Universal institutions that remain necessary are now not always sufficient for the challenges we face.” Australian also contributed to this report.
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