Coalition pledge to ‘safely’ reopen Australia’s embassy in Ukraine

Australia’s embassy in Ukraine will be safely reopened “as soon as possible” under a future Dutton Government as the Coalition pledges to heed pleas to “come back” to Kyiv as a show of support amid the ongoing war with Russia.

Australia’s embassy in Ukraine will be safely reopened “as soon as possible” under a future Dutton Government as the Coalition pledges to heed pleas to “come back” to Kyiv as a show of support amid the ongoing war with Russia.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham is in Ukraine this week to meet with local government officials and observe humanitarian charity work in the area, and will on Thursday announce the Coalition’s commitment to end Australia’s status as an “outlier” and reopen its embassy in Kyiv.

“From Ireland to Indonesia around 70 other countries have reopened a physical presence in Kyiv, demonstrating support for Ukraine and ensuring they receive the best possible intelligence and information,” he said.

“The Albanese Government’s stubborn refusal to reopen Australia’s embassy has left us an international outlier, and contributed to questions about Australia’s reliability as a totally dependable partner.”

Australia closed its embassy in the Ukrainian capital and moved its ambassador to neighbouring Poland when Russia invaded more than two years ago, but the federal government has not yet committed to a timeline to reopen.

Coalition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham meeting with Ukrainian government officials in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Australia’s Kyiv embassy was based in a portion of the building where the Canadian embassy is located, and the government has continued paying rent for the space for years despite it being unused.

Mr Birmingham said under the current arrangements, Australians were effectively “paying twice” for a diplomatic presence linked to Ukraine and blamed the lack of local presence for Labor’s decisions around aid contributions to the war.

Coalition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham with Deputy Defence Minister for Euro Atlantic Integration Dr Oleksandr Balanutsa and Deputy Minister of Defence Dmytro Klimenkov in Kyiv.

“Given the absence of on the ground advice, it’s little wonder the Albanese Government has made so many bad decisions on Ukraine, like burying rather than gifting decommissioned helicopters or not sending Australian coal when it was requested,” he said.

“Under Labor Australia has slipped from being the leading non-NATO contributor to Ukraine’s defence, having been overtaken by Japan and Korea.”

Australia moved its diplomatic officials out of Kyiv when the war started in 2022. Picture: Supplied

Mr Birmingham said Australian governments have managed to keep officials safe in dangerous conflicts before, including in Baghdad and Kabul.

“It shouldn’t be beyond our system to work with all of the international partners who’ve already led the way to create the safest possible environment for our diplomats to be able to do their job effectively,” he said.

“Standing with Ukraine isn’t just about the defence of their country against an illegal and immoral invasion, but also a defence of the international rules that all law abiding nations rely upon.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said Australia should ‘come back’ to Kyiv. Picture: Angela Weiss/AFP

In February 2023, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would like to see Australia “please come back” to Kyiv, but preferably send the ambassador on a Bushmaster armoured vehicle as the war torn nation could use “one more” in the first against Russia.

Mr Birmingham said autocrats and aggressors would judge whether countries like Australia “have the resolve to maintain our support for Ukraine, and make decisions about their next steps accordingly”.

“It’s firmly in Australia’s interests to see Ukraine succeed and create a deterrent to others,” he said.

“If Ukraine prevails and prospers, all nations will be a little safer. If Ukraine is abandoned or weakened, autocrats and tyrants will be emboldened.”