Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Visits Ukraine, Pledges More Support

Anthony Albanese, thePrime Minister of Australia, pledged more military support during his visit to Ukraine. This visit is the first by an Australian leader to Ukraine.

 Mr. Albanese met Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, during a surprise trip to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Sunday after attending the NATO Summit in Spain.

 Australia’s support package is worth 100 million Australian dollars (about 68 million US dollars), including drones and 34 armored vehicles.

The Prime Minister of Australia also announced sanctions and travel bans on 16 other Russian ministers and oligarchs, as well as a ban on imports of Russian gold.

During this diplomatic visit, the Australian leader traveled through and witnessed the destroyed Bucha and Irpin by the war.

He described what he had witnessed as a war crime, and the tragedy in Irpin was even more devastating. 

Mr. Albanese also lit a candle for the victims buried in a mass grave in Bucha.

“Here we have what’s clearly a residential building,” Mr. Albanese said as he walked through the devastated city.

“Another one just behind it, brutally assaulted. You know, this is a war crime.”

Australia, like the UK and the US, is also considering reopening its embassy in Ukraine.