Albo’s pledge for Kyiv
THE Russian bombing of homes and the execution of civilians around Kyiv are “war crimes”, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared, as Australia pledged an extra $100m in military aid to Ukraine.
Mr Albanese toured three war-ravaged towns near Kyiv on Sunday, before meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the ongoing conflict.
Arriving in Ukraine via train from Poland, Mr Albanese then travelled by motorcade to Bucha to pay his respects at the mass grave where 416 civilians were buried by Russian forces after they were executed.
“Bucha is now a notorious name,” local council head Tars Shaprovskiy told him. “This is a very sad place. “Every one of them shot. This was not collateral damage, this was intentional.”
Mr Albanese said Australia “shares your desire to seek justice for these war crimes, and we will continue to do so.” The grave, behind the town’s Church of St Andrews, has become a pilgrimage site for visiting dignitaries.
French President Emmanuel Macron, UK leader Boris Johnson and actor Ben Stiller are among the high-profile visitors Mr Zelensky has hosted in Kyiv in recent weeks as he seeks to maintain global attention on the war.
Mr Albanese also visited the destroyed Hostomel Airport, the site of the failed Russian paratrooper assault in the initial days of the invasion.
He shook his head as he surveyed the wreckage of the what was once the world’s
largest aircraft the Antonov Mriya. He spoke to members of the national guard unit that repelled the Russian attack.
As Mr Albanese left, he was given a model of the famous Antonov aircraft to take home to Canberra.
Walking through the damaged
streets of Irpen, Mr Albanese described the scenes as “devastating”.
“Here we have what (is) clearly a residential building,” he said. “Another one just behind it. Brutally assaulted.“
Standing alongside Mr Zelensky, Mr Albanese expressed Australia’s support for the people of Ukraine and the defence of their country.
“I pay tribute to the courage, resilience, bravery and determination of you as the leader of Ukraine, of your defence force, but importantly as well of your entire population who are determined to stand up to a bully which is breaching international law without any provocation or any excuse,” Mr Albanese told his Ukrainian counterpart.
“Australia will intervene in the International Court of Justice in support of Ukraine in its case against Russia.”
Mr Albanese also announced further targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on 16 additional Russian ministers and oligarchs, bringing the total number to 843 individuals and 62 entities being targeted.
He also committed $99.5m in additional military assistance for Ukraine, including 14 armoured personnel carriers, 20 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles and a contribution to NATO’s Ukraine Comprehensive Assistance Package Trust Fund.
Mr Zelensky said he wished the meeting with Mr Albanese was taking place in peacetime, but thanked him for visiting and the support from Australia.
He said international cooperation must be strengthened in order to “break Russia’s aggressive potential”.