SYDNEY: Australia announces to send armored vehicles to Ukraine after a request for military aid from its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, made during an address to the Australian Parliament.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told lawmakers in Australia by video link Thursday from Ukraine that we are “fighting against evil” and we must be armed.
He urged Australia to send Bushmaster armored personnel carriers made by a French company, Thales, in the Victorian city of Bendigo. They are built to carry up to 10 soldiers safely through conflict zones.
Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said that planning for the deliveries is under way, although Australian officials have not confirmed how many vehicles would be sent or when.
“We are doing work on just logistically how we would get the Bushmasters there in the numbers that they need,” he said.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has denounced “Russia’s brutal, illegal and unjustified invasion” of Ukraine.
Australia has already sent missiles and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine, now about a month into a war with Russia. Canberra has imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian politicians, military commanders and businesspeople. It will now impose a 35% tariff on imports from Russia and Belarus.
