Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bilateral security agreement in New York on Wednesday, local time, committing Australia to defence cooperation with Ukraine that is meant to outlast the war.
The government released no text of the agreement. Its joint statement from Albanese, Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong says only that it "provides a framework for defence and security cooperation". AAP reported the agreement runs for 10 years and covers training Ukrainian forces, possible joint production of air defence systems, missiles and drones, and naval development. Albanese said it would apply in peacetime once the fighting ends, according to AAP.
Alongside the signing, Australia announced $60 million in new support: $45 million in Australian Defence Force equipment, $10 million for Ukraine's Energy Support Fund and $5 million in humanitarian aid. The government says that takes Australia's total contribution to almost $1.9 billion. The make-up of the equipment package was not specified.
Australia will also join the Maritime Capability Coalition for Ukraine, led by the United Kingdom and Norway. The statement is direct about the return. Membership will give Australia "insights into advanced maritime capabilities and their operational use", which it says will help "inform and strengthen Australia's own capabilities".
Marles made the same point about the land war. "Through deeper defence cooperation we can lend our strengths and insights to help grow Ukraine's defence industrial base, and likewise learn from the hard-fought lessons of Ukraine's resistance in developing our future capabilities," he said. The joint statement says that after more than four years of defending itself, Ukraine has developed "one of the world's most innovative and agile fighting forces".
Further sanctions were imposed on Thursday, Australian time, taking the total to almost 1,900 sanctions on Russia and its supporters, with almost 300 shadow fleet vessels listed. The names of the new targets were not published with the announcement.
“We will continue to provide unwavering support to Ukraine and we will continue to work with partners to impose costs on Russia and starve its war machine," Wong said. Zelenskyy called it "the strongest document between our countries", according to Ukrinform's English translation.”
The signing came as Washington pushed a narrower deal. After a meeting with Donald Trump at the General Assembly, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready for a mutual ceasefire on energy infrastructure, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday. The Kremlin has welcomed a US energy moratorium proposal but wants sanctions relief attached, which Zelenskyy has rejected. No general ceasefire is in place.
The US has also invited Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit it hosts in Florida in December, AAP reported. Albanese ruled out meeting him. "I have no intention of having discussions with Mr Putin. I think that his actions have been reprehensible and inflicted enormous damage," he told reporters in New York. He said he expected the agreement to have bipartisan support at home.
Albanese remains in New York for the General Assembly. The government has not said when the agreement's text will be tabled or published.
