Australia and Ukraine sign security agreement, commit A$60 million

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have signed a bilateral security agreement establishing a framework for defence and security cooperation between Australia and Ukraine.‍​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‍

The Australian Government announced an additional A$60 million in support to Ukraine. The commitment comprises A$45 million in Australian Defence Force equipment, A$10 million for Ukraine’s Energy Support Fund, and A$5 million in humanitarian assistance. This brings Australia’s total contribution to Ukraine to almost A$1.9 billion.

Australia is also joining a Maritime Capability Coalition led by the United Kingdom and Norway to support the development of Ukraine’s Navy. According to the Australian Government, the membership will provide insights into advanced maritime capabilities and help strengthen Australia’s own capabilities.‍​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‍

The Australian Government has imposed additional sanctions on Russia, bringing its total to almost 1,900 sanctions on Russia and its supporters, and almost 300 shadow fleet vessels listed.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Australia remains committed to supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes to resolve this conflict on its terms.”‍​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‍

Source: Licensed from the Commonwealth of Australia under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (pm.gov.au). Changes may have been made. Distributed via BLINK Wire. Original release