Australia will send an extra 70 vehicles to Ukraine in a new $74 million package of military assistance. Australia is one of the largest non-NATO contributors to Ukraine’s efforts to repel the Russian invasion.
Australia will send 70 additional vehicles to boost Ukraine’s war effort against the February 2022 Russian invasion. The commitment includes armored and special operations vehicles, trucks and trailers. Canberra will also send more artillery ammunition to Ukraine and contribute more than $6 million to the United Nations for its Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund for health services, shelter and clean water.
The announcement Monday brings Australia’s total contribution to Ukraine to $528 million. It is one of the largest non-NATO contributors to Ukraine.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Canberra that Australia is committed to supporting Kyiv’s war efforts.
“This additional support will make a real difference helping the Ukrainian people who continue to show great courage in the face of Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and immoral war. It is sobering that 16-months on from Russia's invasion, its brutal conflict continues,” he said.
The latest round of Australian aid does not, however, include Ukraine’s key requests for assistance: a fleet of Australian made Hawkei light armored four-wheel-drive patrol vehicles or additional Bushmaster armored personnel carriers.
Prime Minister Albanese also told reporters the aborted mutiny by the Wagner private military group that shook Russia at the weekend showed that the invasion of Ukraine has been a "disaster" for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Also, the High Court of Australia has dismissed a bid by Russia to stop federal authorities from taking control of a site it leased for a new embassy in the capital, Canberra.
The unsuccessful legal challenge followed Australia’s decision earlier this month to block Moscow’s plans to build a new diplomatic mission near the Australian Federal Parliament, citing unspecified national security concerns.
The Kremlin had said previously that Australia’s decision to block the construction of its new embassy in Canberra was "yet another unfriendly action."
