Peter Dutton warns of Putin's territorial ambition, government MP James Paterson cites nuclear danger in Ukraine conflict

Defence Minister Peter Dutton says the Russian president may be planning to restore the extent of the former Soviet Union, while senior government MP James Paterson warns of nuclear danger.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton, above, says ‘our desire is to see the Ukrainians exact a very significant cost on Russians both in terms of reputation and their so-called military might’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Defence Minister Peter Dutton says Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to “bring back a reunited USSR” and that the Ukraine invasion could be just a first step in that goal.

Also on Sunday, the Coalition chair of the powerful parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security James Paterson says Australia and the rest of the Western world were facing a degree of danger of nuclear conflict not seen in 60 years.

Responding to calls to the Ukrainian government for a no fly-zone to be enforced by Western allies to stop Russian air strikes, Mr Dutton warned such a move could lead to nuclear conflict.

“It (a no-fly zone) would definitely help if it didn’t lead to a nuclear conflict, that’s clearly what everyone within NATO, the United States, every peace-loving country around the world would seek,” he said on Insiders on Sunday.

“The difficulty here is if you provide more support and surge with troops … or you allow planes to be staged out of Poland or somewhere else, what is the next step and what is Putin’s next play?’’ Mr Dutton said.

“He is holding out slightly veiled language, the threat of stepping up a nuclear conflict and that would be really catastrophic for Europe and the world.”

It comes as Mr Putin warned any imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukraine by Western powers would be “considered by us as participation in an armed conflict”.

“What is very clear to us is that President Putin has a view of erasing history and of conquering those countries around him and bringing back a reunified USSR, that’s very clearly his intent. That’s the view out of the Ukraine and the view out of intelligence analysts,” Mr Dutton said.

“That’s what concerns NATO and the world as well. Does it stop at the Ukraine, or does it provide them (Russia) with a greater foothold in Europe and a launching pad then into another country?”

Mr Dutton said Australia would continue “providing support” to Ukraine in the hope of defeating the Russian forces and “have them turn back and go back to their own country and allow peace”.

“Our desire is to see the Ukrainians exact a very significant cost on Russians both in terms of reputation and their so-called military might,” he said.

But he said there was “a sense of inevitability” for Russia to ratchet up its attacks in Ukraine.

“When you look at the sheer numbers and also the propensity for Putin to use chemical weapons or other weapons which would be used in a residential area, you just can’t imagine it, it would be a war crime,” he said.

Mr Dutton said there was the hope Australia could bring similar pressure from the Western world to bear on China if it behaved similarly to Russia and invaded Taiwan and would not rule out arming Taiwan in a similar way to Ukraine.

“We want peace to prevail in our region but you don’t have that peace if you’re arguing from a position of weakness,” he said.

He said a decision on which submarines Australia would acquire through AUKUS would be made “in the next couple of months”.

Senator Paterson said on Sunday that Mr Putin’s comments that he was putting nuclear arms at a “higher degree of readiness” were “very alarming”.

“The world is watching very carefully and very closely and very anxiously about what will happen next and there is genuine concern that he might miscalculate again by escalating further which would have terrible consequences for the world,” Senator Paterson said.

“You would have to go back to the nuclear missile crisis [in 1962] to have an equivalent danger of nuclear conflict that we have now.”

Despite the heightened risks, western nations including the US and Australia are standing firm on not sending troops into Ukraine to help fight the Russian forces.

But Senator Paterson said there was a “willingness to go harder” on Russia when it comes to sanctions and economic restrictions.

“There is a willingness to go harder if not to be firmer if need be to go broader if need be to keep ratcheting up those costs on Putin and those around him those who keep him in power,” Senator Patterson told Sky News.

“However, a very clear line has been drawn in public statements and has been reiterated to us in private that the United States and its allies are not intent on putting troops on the ground in Ukraine.”

The United Nations has recorded more than 700 civilian casualties in Ukraine, including more than 200 killed and 500 injured.

But Senator Paterson said there was an “optimism” the pressure on Russia was having an effect.

Senator James Paterson at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture Kym Smith

“There is … cautious optimism [about] that the remarkably united response that the global community has presented to Russia and Putin,” he said.

“There’s been incredible resolve in enacting the highest possible costs on Putin and his cronies to deter and dissuade him from this course of action.”

He echoed comments from the Prime Minister this week urging China to “take the right lessons” from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We … need to send a message to any other authoritarian state who might be contemplating similar behaviour — China included, towards Taiwan — that if they go down that path they will be met with a very strong response from the international community,” Senator Paterson said.

“I hope that the lessons China is drawing from the difficulties Putin has encountered in Ukraine is that any plans of changing the status quo in the Taiwan Straits by force might also be more complicated than they have previously thought.”

Opposition defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor said the Morrison government should keep “ratcheting up” pressure on Russia if the conflict continued.

“Our hopes of course … is that we’ll see an end to this violence and conflict and of course until we see anything like this we need to ratchet up the pressure so if the government has any other options in so far as increased sanctions whether it’s targeting the oligarchs, whether it’s providing lethal aid through NATO, Labor supports that,” he said on Sky.

“In so far as what we may do if elected, we’ll continue to do what the international community are doing in working together to put as much pressure on President Putin as possible in order to see the end of this terrible conflict,” the Labor frontbencher said.

He hit back at attacks from the government on Labor that it would decrease defence spending if elected.

“The way things are heading … I think it’s fair to say we’ll see a further increase in investment in defence and Labor supports that approach,” he said.