PM: Tear down this war
Call for Russian leader to stop Ukraine invasion
ANTHONY Albanese has renewed his call for Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the invasion of Ukraine.
Friday was the one-year anniversary of the conflict, and the Prime Minister marked it by announcing a $33m drone delivery to Ukraine and sanctions on a further 90 Russian individuals and 40 organisations. There are now more than 1000 Russians subject to Australian sanctions.
Over the past year, thousands of people have been killed and millions have been displaced. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that without more help from Western allies there was a risk of Russia winning.
Mr Albanese said he believed Russia truly thought the war would “be over in a few days”. He said the ongoing conflict was not only an attack on Ukriane, but on the international rules-based order.
He said war crimes were being committed in Ukraine, and paid tribute to the “courage and resilience and determination” of Ukrainians.
“They have made enormous sacrifice – a sacrifice in lives, in infrastructure, in their standard of living. They live under constant pressure … and yet they have stood tall,” Mr Albanese said. “Today, one year since this illegal invasion, we again say to Vladimir Putin – stop this war now. Withdraw your forces now.
“There is no need to continue this war … Vladimir Putin can stop this, and he can stop this today. He should stop this today.”
So far Australia has committed military aid worth more than $500m, including 90 Bushmaster vehicles, ammunition and artillery.
Some Australian soldiers are also deployed to the UK, where they are training Ukrainians to fight in the war.
The drones are unarmed but will help the Ukrainian armed forces monitor Russian troop movements. Defence Minister Richard Marles said they would “provide a battlefield intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability to the Ukrainian armed forces as they continue to fight against the unwarranted aggression of Russia”.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia continued to condemn the war.
“The government is demonstrating that by what we are doing, in addition to what we have provided so far,” she said.
“(On sanctions), it is a heavy sanctions regime against a government which has chosen to engage in an illegal and immoral war, breaching sovereignty and the UN Charter, which is why we have to stand against Russia.”
In a joint statement, the opposition’s leader Peter Dutton, its foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham and its defence spokesman Andrew Hastie said they “share the grief” of Ukrainians on the anniversary.
“Australia must not grow fatigued of helping Ukraine defend itself,” they said.
“It is imperative the Albanese Government provide additional humanitarian support and further military assistance.”