Europe eyes defence pact with Australia

Ursula von der Leyen told Anthony Albanese the EU seeks to ‘broaden’ strategic ties, as the PM also promised Volodymyr Zelensky Australian tanks are on their way to Ukraine.

Anthony Albanese and Ursula von der Leyen in Rome. Picture: Supplied.

The European Union is seeking to clinch a new defence pact with Australia to “broaden” strategic ties amid growing geopolitical upheaval, with Anthony Albanese advising talks were in “very early stages”.

The Prime Minister held separate talks with EU president Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration mass on Sunday, assuring Mr Zelensky Australian tanks were on their way, as Russia’s brutal and ongoing invasion dominated discussions.

Hailing a “new era” for Australia and Europe, Ms von der Leyen revealed the EU was eager increase military cooperation with the Albanese government through a new defence agreement, similar to those the bloc has inked with South Korea and Japan, which boosted co-operation on maritime and cyber security.

Anthony Albanese and Volodymyr Zelensky met on Sunday. Picture: Supplied.

As she cited increased global tensions, Ms von der Leyen said Australia and Europe were reliable, predictable partners who could “offer to each other stability”.

“And this is the reason also that we do not only see you as a trading partner, but we see you as a strategic partner, and we would very much like to broaden this strategic partnership,” she told Mr Albanese.

“For example, we have signed security and defence agreements with South Korea and with Japan, soon with the UK. We would be very pleased if we could develop such a security and defence partnership too, just to broaden the strategic partnership in many topics that we have in common.”

Speaking to journalists after the talks, Mr Albanese signalled Australia was open to “further engagement”, but noted it already had a “range of defence relationships” with European countries and was a partner of NATO’s so-called Indo-Pacific Four, along with Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand.

Asked if Ms von der Leyen was seeking to tighten Australia’s defence efforts with NATO, Mr Albanese said: “This was just a suggestion that Ursula von der Leyen raised”.

“There was no detail further, just it was really an assertion of Europe’s values being consistent with Australia’s values and in what ways could be explored further defence co-operation,” he added.

The pair also revived preliminary talks on a free-trade agreement after negotiations stalled in 2023, though Mr Albanese was unable say whether an agreement would be struck during this term of government.

“Our objective is to support an expansion of free and fair trade … and we will wait and see,” he said.

“We have indicated in the past, though, that we won’t sign up to agreements that aren’t in Australia’s national interest.”

‘Thank you for news of the tanks’

At his meeting with the Ukrainian president, Mr Albanese pledged Australia’s continuing support for Kyiv’s fight against Russia and told Mr Zelensky that the promised M1A1 Abrams tanks were “on their way at the moment”.

In April it was revealed that forty-nine Australian Army tanks promised to Ukraine six months ago were yet to leave the country.

Mr Albanese also raised the fate of Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins, who was on Friday sentenced to 13 years in a Russian colony after being captured fighting for Ukraine.

But he would not be drawn on whether he had asked Mr Zelensky to push for Mr Jenkins’s release in any future prisoner swap.

“What we did was … in a diplomatic way, seek Ukraine’s further support for Oscar Jenkins,” he said.

Австралія підтримує Україну – зараз і завжди.

Слава Україні!
__

Australia stands with Ukraine, now and always.

Slava Ukraini!@ZelenskyyUa
🇦🇺🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/krIsh0418k

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) May 18, 2025

Mr Zelensky, who also met with US Vice President JD Vance in Rome and was expected to speak with Donald Trump by phone on Monday, thanked Mr Albanese for “the news of the tanks” and called for more economic sanctions against Russia.

“Together we can really move this situation closer to peace with pressure on Russia and we are very thankful for sanctions,” he said.

“I want to raise with you also this topic, which is very important, put more pressure, more sanctions on Russia.”

Australia has already imposed 1400 sanctions against Russian companies and individuals, Mr Albanese said later, adding Australia would “continue to look at whatever we can do to place pressure on Russia”.

Today in Rome, I met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese @AlboMP. We discussed defense support for Ukraine and cooperation within the Coalition of the Willing. Our conversation also covered the negotiations in Istanbul, increasing pressure on Russia, and which… pic.twitter.com/eroAXgju8k

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 18, 2025

Mr Albanese did not meet with Mr Vance who also attended Sunday’s mass.

“He arrived quite late in terms of just prior to the mass taking place, as you will have seen,” he said adding that no formal meeting had been sought either.

“I’m the Prime Minister, I meet the President of the United States, and that will occur at an appropriate time.”