NATO is to get an extra $95 million in military aid for Ukraine from Australia who will also impose new sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers.
Of the amount, $50m will go to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a NATO program to supply Ukraine; New Zealand also says it will give $15m (A$13m) to PURL.
The two countries have become the first non‑NATO contributors to PURL, according to Canberra.
The federal government says they will also give $43m in defence supplies such as radar, ammunition and combat engineering equipment and $2m towards providing Ukraine with drone technology.
Australia is also imposing more sanctions against another 45 vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet (estimated to have 200 vessels).
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles says that “Australia is unwavering in its support for Ukraine”.
NATO PACKAGE
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong says Australia’s sanctions are part of a co-ordinated effort to starve Russia’s oil revenues and limit its ability to finance its invasion.
“Australia’s sanctions complement those of key partners, including the United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand and the European Union,” she says.
“As a result of actions we have taken, direct Australian imports of Russian energy products have fallen from $80 million before Russia’s invasion to zero.”
The NATO package brings Australia’s overall support for Ukraine to over $1.7 billion, including more than $1.5 billion in military assistance since the start of the invasion.
Australia and New Zealand are also involved in training Ukrainian military personnel in the United Kingdom.
A final tranche of 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks is also due to be delivered to Ukraine in coming weeks, the federal government says.
- Meanwhile, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden last month said they will spend A$756 million on military equipment and munitions for Ukraine as part of PURL which will be sourced from the United States.
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