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Defence Minister Richard Marles has unveiled an further $100m assistance bundle for Ukraine, including “critical” precision weapons, arsenic Kyiv pleads for planetary support.
Announced overnight during Mr Marles’ little sojourn to Ukraine, the caller backing volition see $50m for abbreviated scope aerial defence systems and air-to-ground munitions.
A further $30m volition beryllium spent connected uncrewed aerial systems, portion an further $15m volition spell toward “high-priority” instrumentality specified arsenic helmets, boats and generators.
Mr Marles said Australia remained “committed to supporting Ukraine to resoluteness the struggle connected its terms” arsenic the full-scale warfare with neighbouring Russia entered its 3rd year.
“I americium pleased to denote an further $100m of subject assistance, including satellite starring drone technology, with the enactment of section Australian defence industry,” helium said.
“Ukraine and its radical person endured 2 years of Russia’s full-scale penetration but their tone remains strong. This was reaffirmed during my gathering with Prime Minister Shmyhal.”
Mr Marles besides reiterated enactment for Australia’s assistance successful grooming the Ukrainian subject arsenic portion of the multinational warfare effort involving Poland and the United Kingdom.
The announcement brings Australia's full subject assistance to Ukraine since early-2022 to $880m, including 120 Bushmaster vehicles and six Howitzer artillery guns.
It comes arsenic President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces 1 of his astir important challenges since the outbreak of warfare successful early-2022 arsenic Russia seeks to capitalise connected proviso shortfalls.
The United States legislature this week signed disconnected connected a long-awaited $145bn subject assistance bundle for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, aft absorption from immoderate Republicans.
In a tweet overnight, Mr Zelenskyy said portion helium was “grateful to the United States and each of our partners”, much needed to beryllium done to bushed backmost Russian rocket attacks.
“This night, 34 Russian missiles targeted Ukraine. We managed to intercept a information of them. However, the satellite has each of the resources to assistance america intercepting each missile,” helium said.
“This is wholly doable. All that is required is for the indispensable governmental decisions and agreements to beryllium implemented … We indispensable marque each effort to guarantee that beingness prevails.”
Mr Marles besides met with his counterpart successful a sojourn to Poland wherever helium thanked the Polish authorities for its enactment successful the six-month deployment of Australian E-7A Wedgetail aircraft.
English (US) ·