Russia-Ukraine war: Australia may consider training for Ukrainian forces, says PM

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Australian government might consider Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request to train Ukrainian forces. Albanese also condemned the recent air strikes by Russia on civilian targets in Ukraine.

Speaking to Australian media Wednesday, Albanese said he talked to Zelenskyy about what further assistance Australia may provide Ukraine at this time. Albanese said that his administration was considering Zelenskyy’s request to provide training for Ukrainian troops while condemning Russia’s latest attacks as “appalling.”

“I conveyed to him the condolences of the Australian people for the innocent victims who have been murdered by Russian aggression, targeting civilian locations including in Kyiv just about a kilometer from where I was just a couple of months ago,” said Albanese, referring to his visit to the Ukrainian capital back in July. “This is a fight not just about Ukraine’s sovereignty.”

“This is a fight about the international rule of law, about whether sovereign borders will be respected and that is why the world is united in their support for Ukraine against this Russian aggression,” said Albanese, adding that Australia is the largest non-NATO contributor.

Australia has provided around $314 million in military assistance to Ukraine with an additional $244 million in aid. Albanese’s comments also followed Zelenskyy’s appeal to the G7 countries this week for air defense capabilities to counter air strikes from Russia.

Zelenskyy told the G7 leaders that Ukraine needs an “air shield” to defend itself from Russian missiles following the strikes on civilian targets across Ukraine.

The United Nations General Assembly has also voted to condemn Moscow’s attempted annexation of four partially occupied Ukrainian territories. In a vote of 193-5, the countries that are part of the UNGA voted in favor of the resolution condemning the attempted annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.

Five countries, including Russia, North Korea, Syria, Belarus, and Nicaragua, voted against the resolution. 35 countries, including China, India, South Africa, and Pakistan, chose to abstain. The result marks the strongest rebuke to Moscow, echoing the response when Russia annexed Crimea back in 2014.

China abstained, citing that it did not believe the resolution was helpful, according to its deputy UN ambassador Geng Shuang.