Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that his government is considering the Ukrainian president’s request for Australia to provide military training support to the war-torn nation’s troops.
On Tuesday night, Albanese spoke on the phone with Volodymyr Zelensky, who asked him for more assistance and talked about what further contributions Australia could make to Ukraine’s war effort.
Also on Tuesday, Zelensky addressed the G7 industrial powers by videoconference, thanking them for their support and pleading for more help with the creation of an air shield for Ukraine.
Although the government would consider Zelensky’s request in the coming days, Albanese insisted Australian troops would not be entering Ukraine despite speculations arguing the opposite.
Describing Russia’s targeting of civilians as appalling attacks, Albanese said that the government in Canberra is certainly considering training Ukrainian military personnel and conveyed the condolences of the Australian people for the innocent victims murdered by Russian aggression.
Underscoring that this struggle is not just about Ukraine and its sovereign borders, but also about the international rule of law, Albanese pointed out that Australia is the biggest non-NATO contributor to Kyiv’s war effort, sending armored vehicles, military equipment, and defense technology.
While NATO declared on Tuesday it would go ahead with its annual routine nuclear deterrent exercises, Russian troops have sent a fresh barrage of missiles on Ukrainian cities.
Previously on Monday, in attacks that the United Nations has described as particularly shocking and potentially war crimes, the widespread Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least 19 people.