Ukraine crisis: Australia will fund lethal weapons, joining US, Germany in providing Kyiv military support
- Funding for the weapons signals a shift from Australia’s previous stance that it would only fund military technical assistance
- Morrison also urged Australian citizens not travel to join Ukraine’s militia in fighting against the Russian military
Morrison told reporters on Tuesday the majority of the new weapons funding for Ukraine would be in the lethal category.
“We’re talking missiles, we’re talking ammunition, we’re talking supporting them in their defence of their own homeland in Ukraine and we will be doing that in partnership with Nato.”
He said the weapons would be delivered rapidly, but did not disclose how.
Morrison also urged Australian citizens not travel to join Ukraine’s militia in fighting against the Russian military, saying the legal position of foreign civilian combatants was unclear.
“Don’t do it,” he said.
Australia will also commit A$35 million in humanitarian support to international organisations assisting Ukrainians with shelter, food, medical care, water and education, he said.
Germany announced on Saturday that it was reversing its long-standing principle of not providing or selling weapons to conflict areas.
More than 500,000 people have fled the war in Ukraine to neighbouring countries, according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
This was around 80,000 more than the figure reported on Sunday by the UN refugee agency UNHCR.
The majority of Ukrainian refugees have so far fled to Poland, with around 350,000 arriving since the war broke out, according to the Polish border guard.
Additional reporting by Kyodo News, dpa
