Scott Morrison urges Russia to resolve Ukraine issue peacefully; Aussies should return home

Scott Morrison has given his bluntest warning yet to Aussies in Ukraine, as fears grow a Russian invasion is on the way

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged Australians in Ukraine to leave as fears rise a Russian invasion is imminent.

Mr Morrison said on Monday the federal government had tried to contact all Australians in Ukraine.

“All Australians in Ukraine, we have endeavoured to contact them all over the last few week....[with a] very clear message - now is the time to leave. We reinforce that message. The

travel advisories are very clear,” he said.

“The vast majority of those Australians who live in Ukraine, their lives are in the Ukraine. Many of them have dual citizenships. Their families are there or in neighbouring countries, particularly in Poland. They’ll be looking to their own arrangements, as we understand it. But our message has been very clear and I want to thank the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and our consular officials who have been working tirelessly to get that message for some weeks that it is time to leave if you wish to leave.”

The prime minister also urged Russia to continue its dialogue with countries about the situation to “resolve this issue”.

“But we hold out real concerns about where this will ultimately lead to. Australia supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and their territorial integrity. And we will continue to stand with them on these issues and continue to engage with our partners on these very difficult issues as

they continue to evolve,” he said.

“The quad foreign ministers will be meeting here in Australia later this week and that will be a further opportunity for us to be discussing collective security issues and our shared prosperity from our engagements together, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. But, again, we would be urging Russia to remain engaged in the reciprocal dialogue. Any breach of Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty is not a mark of peace, it is a mark of those who would seek to take sovereignty from others for whom it should reside with.”

It comes as Ukraine has pushed back at “apocalyptic predictions” over a potential Russian invasion, after US officials sounded dire warnings that Moscow had stepped up its preparations for a major incursion.

US officials said the Kremlin has assembled 110,000 troops along the border with its pro-Western neighbour but intelligence assessments have not determined whether President Vladimir Putin has actually decided to invade.

The Russian force amassed on the frontier is growing at a rate that would give Putin the firepower he needs for a full-scale invasion – some 150,000 soldiers – by mid-February, US officials have said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba during a joint press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine. Picture: Getty Images

They assess that Putin wants all options at his disposal, from a limited campaign in the pro-Russian Donbas region of Ukraine to a full-scale invasion.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told Meet the Press on NBC that “a military escalation and invasion of Ukraine could happen at any time.

“We believe that the Russians have put in place the capabilities to mount a significant military operation into Ukraine, and we have been working hard to prepare a response,” he said.

“President Biden has rallied our allies. He’s reinforced and reassured our partners on the eastern flank, he’s provided material support to the Ukrainians, and he’s offered the Russians a diplomatic path.”

An instructor teaches civilians to shoot with AK-47 rifles and pump-action shotguns during shooting training outside the Ukraine city of Kharkiv. Picture: AFP

Russia denies that it is planning an incursion into Ukraine.

“Do not believe the apocalyptic predictions. Different capitals have different scenarios, but Ukraine is ready for any development,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

“Today, Ukraine has a strong army, unprecedented international support and the faith of Ukrainians in their country. It is the enemy who should fear us.”

Presidency Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak insisted that the chances of finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis remained “substantially higher than the threat of further escalation”.

Kiev – backed up by some European allies – has consistently sought to play down fears of an imminent attack as it tries to prevent further harm to its struggling economy.

Podolyak said the latest Russian moves were “no surprise” as Moscow has sought to keep up pressure on Kiev by conducting large-scale troop rotations, manoeuvres and weapon deployments regularly since massing forces at the border last spring.

“How long will such Russian activity last and for what purpose is it maintained? Only the Kremlin can know the exact answer to this question,” he said.

EUROPEAN DIPLOMATIC PUSH

The stark warnings from the US – part of a deliberate attempt from Washington to pre-empt any Russian actions – come as Europe pushes to defuse the crisis.

French President Emmanuel Macron heads to Moscow on Monday and Kiev on Tuesday seeking to de-escalate the crisis and push forward a stalled peace plan for the festering conflict with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also visit the region for talks with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the following week in a bid to further the diplomatic efforts.

US officials said if Moscow does opt for a full-scale attack, the invading force could take the capital Kiev and topple Zelensky in a matter of 48 hours.

US Army soldiers and military vehicles exit a US Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft in Rzeszow, Poland. Picture: Getty Images

They estimated such an attack would leave 25,000 to 50,000 civilians dead, along with 5,000 to 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 3000 to 10,000 Russian ones.

It could also trigger a refugee flood of one to five million people, mainly into Poland, the officials added.

President Joe Biden has reacted to the build-up by dispatching some 3000 American forces to bolster NATO’s eastern flank, with a new batch of US soldiers arriving in Poland on Sunday.

Scholz said Berlin was prepared to send extra troops to the Baltics in addition to 500 soldiers already stationed in Lithuania under a NATO operation.

Moscow has issued demands for NATO to guarantee that Ukraine will not enter the alliance and to withdraw forces from member states in eastern Europe.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sulliva told Fox News Sunday that Biden “is not sending forces to start a war or fight a war with Russia in Ukraine”.

“We have sent forces to Europe to defend NATO territory,” he said.

Sullivan

Originally published as Scott Morrison urges Russia to resolve Ukraine issue peacefully; Aussies should return home