Australia reveals biggest-ever Ukraine aid package

The federal government has announced Australia’s largest single military assistance package to Ukraine worth nearly $250 million.

At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, met with Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelenskyy alongside Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) partners.

Marles ‘reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to standing with Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion’, according to a statement.

As part of this, the latest military assistance package includes:

• Air defence missiles
• Air-to-ground weapons, including guided weapons
  Anti-tank weapons
• Artillery, mortar, cannon, and small arms ammunition
• And a shipment of boots, ensuring the men and women of Ukraine’s armed forces are able to continue their vital efforts on the front line.

The announcement by the government takes Australia’s military assistance to Ukraine to more than $1.1 billion since the start of Russia’s full‑scale invasion, and overall assistance to more than $1.3 billion.

Australia will also join NATO’s new security and training initiative for Ukraine as an operational partner, and the Drone Coalition, whose aims include sending one million drones to the beleaguered country. (See separate Ministers statement: Joint Statement by the Drone Coalition’s Ministers of Defence.)

This follows the government’s $30 million commitment to provide drones to Ukraine.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said: “Australia is proud to stand with its partners at this historic NATO Summit to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to the Government of Ukraine.

“I was pleased to join IP4 partners in Washington DC to meet with President Zelensky and announce $250 million in additional military support.

“The delivery of highly capable air defence capabilities and air-to-ground precision munitions represents Australia’s largest single support package for Ukraine, and will make an enormous contribution to its efforts to end the conflict on its terms.

“Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine stands as an affront to international law and the rules-based order.”

Further reading:
Joint Statement by the Drone Coalition’s Ministers of Defence

Picture: Richard Marles