Marles condemns Russia’s nuclear threat as ‘reprehensible’
Richard Marles has backed Ukraine’s right to defend itself using long-range US missiles, amid Russia’s nuclear threats.
Richard Marles has condemned Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional attack as “reprehensible”, as he backed Ukraine’s right to defend itself using long-range US missiles.
Vladimir Putin updated his country’s nuclear doctrine just days after US President Joe Biden gave Kyiv the green light to fire American-made missiles into Russia.
Under the new doctrine, Russia will consider an attack by a non-nuclear state, with the help of a nuclear country, as a joint attack on Russia.
The change came as Ukraine hit a weapons arsenal with US-made ATACMS missiles about 110km inside Russia.
“It’s completely reprehensible on the part of Russia,” the Defence Minister said of the new nuclear threat.
“This is Ukraine defending itself. I mean Ukraine is the country that was attacked. It was Russia which crossed the border into Ukraine and began this war. And Ukraine has a right to defend itself.”
Ukraine is racing to consolidate its military position ahead of an expected ceasefire push by incoming president Donald Trump, whose claim he could stop the war “in 24 hours” has raised fears he would force Kyiv to cede territory to Russia.
Mr Marles said the arrival of thousands of North Korean troops to fight for Russia was an “appalling escalation” in the conflict, and Australia would continue to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes for this … to be resolved on its terms”.
“We need to be standing with Ukraine,” he told the ABC. “What’s at issue here is the global rules-based order which is very much in Australia’s national interest.”
Mr Marles was less emphatic on the prospect of Australia reopening its embassy in the Ukrainian capital. Dozens of countries, including Canada which shares Australia’s embassy building in Kyiv, have returned their diplomats to the country.
Mr Marles declined to put a timeline on Australia restoring a permanent diplomatic presence in the Ukrainian capital. “It’s something we want to do. We’ve been wanting to do it for some time,” he said.
“We do have our ambassador in the region who operates out of Warsaw. This is a matter of making sure, obviously in the context of a war zone, that we can open this in a manner which is safe for all of those who would be in the embassy.”
Russia’s Defence Ministry said Ukraine fired six ballistic missiles at a facility in Bryansk on Tuesday morning local time, and ATACMS missiles had been used in the attack.
American officials confirmed the US-made weapons had been used, media reports say.
The Albanese government announced in October it would donate 49 army M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in the nation’s most lethal contribution to the country’s war against Russia.
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