July 14, 2023
Ukraine's ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko has welcomed Australia's decision to send over another 30 Bushmasters, saying the extra personnel carriers will help replenish parts of the fleet that have been destroyed in the war against Russia.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the additional military aid on Wednesday after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
It comes on top of the 90 Bushmasters Australia has already committed to Ukraine's war effort.
Mr Myroshnychenko described the Bushmasters as "significant contribution to Ukraine's defence capabilities".
He said the armoured vehicles were making a difference and saving lives in Ukraine.
"They are versatile, they're agile, and they work well," he said.
"Of course during the war many of them get destroyed.
"It's good that our fleet is going to be replenished with another 30 Bushmasters."
The armoured vehicles can carry up to 10 troops and are designed to protect passengers from explosive devices.
While in Berlin on Monday, Mr Albanese said Australia would also deploy an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to protect logistics hubs in Europe supplying aid to Ukraine.
Last month, the government unveiled a $110 million military and humanitarian aid package, but it was widely criticised for lacking Bushmasters and Hawkei armoured vehicles, which Ukraine has been calling for.
Shadow Minister for Defence Andrew Hastie and Acting Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs James Paterson welcomed the provision of another 30 Bushmasters.
But, in a joint statement, they criticised the government for being "slow to act", accusing Mr Albanese of "waiting for a photo opportunity to announce this decision".
"These vehicles must be sent to Ukraine as quickly as possible, without delay" they said.
Stephan Fruehling, a professor at the Australian National University's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, said the decision to send more Bushmasters was "a step in the right direction" but it can be argued that, like all countries, Australia could do more.
"Australia has been making very significant contributions given that this is a conflict that before the war few people would have thought Australia would have a direct stake in," he said.
"Ukraine will always hope for more, there's a need for more. But I don't think that Australia necessarily needs to hide and that Australia's contribution in the international scale (is) inappropriately small."
Ukraine is currently carrying out its counteroffensive to regain territory seized by Russia in the south and east of the country but progress has been slow.
Ukraine's military commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi told the Washington Post last month the country needed more weapons and equipment.
Kyiv has been lobbying the United States to supply F-16 fighter jets and although Ukrainian pilots will be trained to fly the aircrafts by a coalition of 11 European countries, they are yet to be sent over.
Professor Fruehling said supplying combat aircrafts was "the next and the last remaining big step" that the West hasn't taken yet.
He said Australia could also make its retired F/A-18 Hornets fighter jets available to Ukraine.
"We're one of the few Western countries that have reasonably modern fighter aircrafts available that we don't need for our own Air Force," he said.
But Myroshnychenko told The Canberra Times last month Ukraine has not made a request for the F/A-18 jets.
