Australia will supply Ukraine with air defence missiles, air-to-ground weapons and anti-tank weapons as part of a new aid package worth $250 million.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles unveiled the new tranche of support while in Washington for a NATO summit where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is high on the agenda.
There has been a renewed focus on air defence systems after a deadly barrage of Russian missiles killed about 40 people across the country and struck a children’s hospital in the capital Kyiv.
The NATO summit is expected to produce a new program for providing military aid to Ukraine and prepare for its eventual accession as a member of the alliance.
On top of the new missiles, Australia will supply artillery, mortar, cannon and small arms ammunition as well as a shipment of boots.
Australia will join NATO’s new security and training initiative for Ukraine as a non-member partner, which will enable defence personnel to contribute to planning and NATO-led military activity.
A small number of people who are already working in Europe will transfer to the NATO initiative in the first instance, Mr 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,” he said.
The defence minister also signed a memorandum of understanding on the drone coalition for Ukraine while in Washington.
The US has also announced further air defence aid for Ukraine, with former Ukrainian defence minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk saying the recent barrage of Russian rockets showed they “learned how to overwhelm existing systems”.
NATO nations also needed to work on a plan to end the war, rather than prop up Ukraine’s defence, so it does not continue to drag on, he said.
Mr Zagorodnyuk urged Australia to “talk to American politicians and … world politicians and Western politicians, and indeed, stress the necessity of having a plan”.
“Russia can lose – they’re not winning this war,” he told ABC Radio.
“They’re creating a lot of troubles for us but they’re not winning this war.”
Mr Zagorodnyuk also raised concerns about a future Donald Trump presidency, saying his aides had flagged offering Russia a peace deal which “totally misses the point of the war” by offering up some of Ukraine’s territory.
“Putin is not doing this war in order to keep a few villages … he’s after the concept of free and democratic Ukraine,” he said.
“We are really concerned that some people who are not really … understanding what’s happening are actually offering Putin something above our head.”