Anthony Albanese to discuss peace in Ukraine in phone hook up with world leaders

World leaders are set to discuss a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, amid questions over whether Australia would commit boots on the ground.

Anthony Albanese will join several world leaders on a call to discuss the potential of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, which will likely canvas whether Australian troops could participate in future peacekeeping missions.

The call, arranged by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will take place on Saturday night Australian time, and includes leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Canada, New Zealand as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Speaking from Perth on Friday, Mr Albanese said that while he didn’t want to “pre-empt what comes out of that meeting,” Australia “stood with Ukraine”.

Anthony Albanese will join several other world leaders in a call to discuss the potential of a ceasefire in Ukraine. Picture: Paula Bronstein/ Getty Images

The call comes as the US attempts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, following Russia’s deadly invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“We look forward to there being peace in Ukraine but we don’t have to think very hard about which side we’re on in this conflict,” the Prime Minister said.

“Russia is the aggressor. Russia invaded a sovereign nation in Ukraine and has committed atrocities against civilians, against civilian infrastructure as well, and it is an illegal and immoral war.”

While Mr Albanese has previously said he was “open” to sending Australian peacekeeping troops if requested by Ukraine, he said no decisions would be made until a ceasefire was achieved.

“We don’t have peace, so therefore we don’t have a peacekeeping agreement. So we’ll continue to engage constructively on those issues,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also participate in the call with world leaders. Picture: Nicolas Tucat/ AFP

On Thursday, Defence Minister Richard Marles also said Australia would consider any requests from “our friends and allies in Europe” in good faith.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Mr Albanese previous comments on committing Australian troops was a “thought bubble”.

He said that while we “should continue to support Ukraine,” it shouldn’t be with “troops on the ground in Ukraine”.

“Our job is to take care of our country and to make sure that we’re safe in our region,” Mr Dutton said on Friday.

“To keep peace in our region, we’re going to have to invest in defence and we’re going to have to prioritise our needs now.”

Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenk however has said in the event of a ceasefire, Ukraine would likely request peacekeeping troops from Australia to serve “as a deterrent against future Russian aggression”.

“I think that would be very strong message to the entire world … I think every Australian feels that it’s unfair, that it’s a bully which is destroying a democracy.”

Anthony Albanese said Australia ‘stood with Ukraine’ amid Russia’s ongoing illegal invasion. Picture: Paula Bronstein/ Getty Images

Speaking from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, where negotiations are being held, Russian President Vladmir Putin outlined his demands for a ceasefire.

While he was open to “ending this conflict by peaceful means,” any agreement would need to “lead to an enduring peace” and “remove the root causes of this crisis,” he said.

This includes ownership of the Kursk region which Mr Putin claimed was controlled by Russia, but occupied by “isolated” Ukrainian troops.

“There are two options for Ukrainians in Kursk – surrender or die,” he said.

Mr Putin told media there were still a number of unknowns which required further negotiations, including who would administer and control the ceasefire, and how would violations of the ceasefire be determined.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has led to more than 46,000 Ukrainian solders have died in the conflict, with 370,000 wounded.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights estimates a total of 41,783 civilian casualties as a result of the conflict.