‘Completely unacceptable’: Scott Morrison lashes Russia’s actions against Ukraine

Scott Morrison has lashed the “autocratic, unilateral actions of Russia” as “completely unacceptable” as talk of a Ukraine invasion escalates significantly.

Scott Morrison has lashed the “autocratic, unilateral actions of Russia” as “completely unacceptable” amid escalating fears the nation will invade Ukraine in a matter of days.

The Federal Government announced this morning that, “given the deteriorating security situation caused by the build up of Russian troops on Ukraine’s border”, it will evacuate its embassy in Kyiv, following a similar move by the US State Department.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the government would move its operations to Lyiv, a few hundred kilometres west of Kyiv and closer to the Polish border.

“The Government has directed the departure of staff at the Australian Embassy in Kyiv and temporarily suspended operations at our Embassy in Kyiv. We will be moving our operations to a temporary office in Lviv,” she said.

Off the back of Ms Payne’s statement, the Prime Minister told reporters in Adelaide that the situation in Ukraine “is deteriorating and is reaching a very dangerous stage”.

“I want to send a very clear message on behalf of Australia, a liberal democracy who believes in freedom and the sovereignty of states, not just in Europe, but in our own region as well, that the autocratic unilateral actions of Russia, to be threatening and bullying Ukraine, is something that is completely and utterly unacceptable,” Mr Morrison said.

Scott Morrison has lashed the “autocratic, unilateral actions of Russia” as “completely unacceptable”. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

He also noted that while the Chinese government criticised Australia overnight for working with our allies “to provide greater humanitarian relief”, they “remain chillingly silent on Russian troops amassing on the Ukrainian border”.

“The coalition of autocracies that we are seeing, seeking to bully other countries, is not something that Australia ever takes a light position on, and certainly my government never has,” the PM added.

“My government has always stood up to anybody who seeks to bully or coerce Australia, and the bullying and the coercion that we are seeing take place on the borders of Ukraine is an example of that, and it is unacceptable. It is unacceptable there and it is unacceptable anywhere else.”

Asked whether Australia would partake in a US-led “transnational response” if Russia does invade Ukraine, Mr Morrison said “there is no suggestion” that we “would be involved in that way”.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Both he and Ms Payne renewed calls for Australians to “leave Ukraine immediately”.

“We continue to advise Australians to leave Ukraine immediately by commercial means. Security conditions could change at short notice,” Ms Payne said.

“Australians in Ukraine seeking consular assistance should call the Australian Government 24 hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 or [phone] outside Australia.

“Russian military action in Ukraine will severely limit our ability to provide consular assistance to Australians.”

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said “the intimidation should stop, and Russia should just back off”.

“Ukraine deserves to be able to make it’s own decisions.”

Biden’s desperate phone call with Putin

Joe Biden issued another terse message to Vladimir Putin on Saturday, in an hour-long phone call widely seen as a last-ditch effort to fend off a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

White House officials warned on Friday that an attack on Ukraine could start as early as Wednesday, urging citizens to leave immediately as they observed the Russian President “could choose in very short order to commence a major military action against” the neighbouring nation, which forces have increasingly surrounded in recent weeks.

Off the back of America’s repeated warnings, the Kremlin suggested a phone call between the two leaders — which began shortly after 11am Washington time on Saturday and ended just over an hour later.

“President Biden was clear that, if Russia undertakes a further invasion of Ukraine, the United States together with our Allies and partners will respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs on Russia,” the White House said in a statement.

“President Biden reiterated that a further Russian invasion of Ukraine would produce widespread human suffering and diminish Russia’s standing.”

US President Joe Biden speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin from the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland. Picture: White House/AFP

The phone call took place against a backdrop of “hysteria” in the west about an impending Russian invasion. Picture: Mikhail Metzel/TASS via Getty Images

While the US was prepared to engage in diplomacy, “we are equally prepared for other scenarios”, Mr Biden said, as the two nations stare down one of the gravest crises in East-West relations since the Cold War.

The Biden-Putin talks were “professional and substantive”, lasting just over an hour, but produced “no fundamental change” in dynamics, a senior US official told reporters.

Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov said the phone call took place against a backdrop of “hysteria” in the west about an impending Russian invasion that he said was absurd.

Mr Putin reportedly told his US counterpart that America’s response to Russia’s main security demands had not taken into account key concerns and that Moscow would respond soon.

Fighter jets fly in formation during joint exercises of the armed forces of Russia and Belarus as part of a military exercise. Picture: Leonid Shcheglov/BELTA/AFP

The call came after French President Emmanuel Macron held a separate conversation with Mr Putin, in which the latter slammed Western claims that such an invasion of Ukraine might be on the horizon.

According to a Russian readout of the call, Mr Putin called the idea “provocative speculation” that could lead to a conflict in the ex-Soviet country.

Mr Macron’s office said “both expressed a desire to continue dialogue” but, like Washington, reported no clear progress.

‘Possible provocations’

Russia added to the ominous tone by pulling some of its diplomatic staff out of Ukraine Saturday.

The foreign ministry in Moscow said its decision was prompted by fears of “possible provocations from the Kiev regime”.

But Washington and a host of European countries along with Israel cited the growing threat of a Russian invasion as they called on their citizens to leave Ukraine as soon possible.

Britain and the United States also pulled out most of their remaining military advisers while the US embassy ordered “most” of its Kiev staff to leave.

Dutch carrier KLM announced that it was suspending commercial flights to Ukraine until further notice.

The prospect of fleeing Westerners prompted Kiev to issue an appeal to its citizens to “remain calm”.

“Right now, the people’s biggest enemy is panic,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on a visit to troops stationed near the Russian-annexed peninsula of Crimea.

‘Any day now’

Washington on Friday issued its most dire warning yet that Russia had assembled enough forces to launch a serious assault.

“Our view that military action could occur any day now, and could occur before the end of the Olympics, is only growing in terms of its robustness,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned.

Mr Sullivan stopped short of saying that America has concluded that Mr Putin has made the decision to attack.

But some US and German media cited intelligence sources and officials as saying that a war could begin at some point after Putin concludes talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow on Tuesday.

The German leader is due to travel to Kiev on Monday and then visit Mr Putin as Europe strives to keep lines of communication open with Moscow.

– with AFP

Originally published as ‘Completely unacceptable’: Scott Morrison lashes Russia’s actions against Ukraine