Australia to fund lethal arms for Ukraine
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ordered the funding of lethal military assistance for Ukraine – a step up from his previous commitment to non-lethal aid – as the military conflict between Kiev and Moscow continues.
Australia would start supplying weapons to Ukraine through its NATO allies, Morrison announced on Sunday morning.
“The Australian government will continue to stand up for what is right when it comes to Ukraine,” said Morrison, adding that though the country was “already providing significant support in terms of non-lethal aid,” he had decided to “provide whatever support we can for lethal aid through our NATO partners, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom.”
Morrison said that Canberra would provide military assistance through the US, UK, and other NATO member states rather than shipping arms from Australia directly “because that’s the most effective way to do it.”
“They are already providing support in these areas and we will be assisting them with what they are doing,” the PM said.
Australia is the latest country to pledge weapons and other military aid to Ukraine, following in the footsteps of the US, UK, Germany, and other NATO allies.
This week, Germany promised to send Ukraine 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 surface-to-air missiles, while Belgium and the Netherlands vowed to deliver 2,000 machine guns and 200 missiles respectively.
