Australia’s views on Ukraine ‘very different’ to the US, Peter Dutton says

Donald Trump’s infamous stoush with Ukraine’s president has sparked security fears in Australia and a warning we may need to rethink our reliance on the US.

Peter Dutton says Australia is facing “tough decisions” after Donald Trump’s White House spat with Volodymyr Zelensky over the weekend.

The Opposition Leader on Monday said he was “disappointed by the scenes at the White House” and Mr Zelensky needed the West’s support.

“People have got short memories and is not that long ago since the Second World War, and when the Prime Minister says we live in the most precarious period since then, he is right,” Mr Dutton told reporters.

“And what we know is that bullies do not respect weakness, and we will stand up with like-minded countries in support of peace in Europe and make sure that Russia can feel the pressure of having to settle a deal quickly so that Ukraine and her people can get on with a normal life as quickly as possible.”

Peter Dutton says Australia is facing ‘tough decisions’ after Donald Trump’s White House spat with Volodymyr Zelensky. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

He said making a “tough decision” could mean “standing up to your friends and the traditional allies because our views have diverged”.

“In relation to Ukraine, the Australian view at the moment is different to the US, and my job as prime minister will be to lobby the president of the United States to reconsider his position in relation to Ukraine because I think it is in all of our collective best interest if we are able to provide support to Ukraine,” Mr Dutton said.

However, the Opposition Leader ruled out deploying Australian troops to support efforts in Ukraine.

“No, there’s no need for Australia to send troops, but we should continue our support for Ukraine,” he said when asked if an elected Coalition government would look at putting boots on the ground.

The clash between the US and Ukrainian presidents sparked jubilance in Moscow and triggered alarm bells in Western capitals.

In Canberra, policymakers and parliamentarians alike have been unpacking what the public stoush means for Washington’s reliability as an ally, as Australia faces an increasingly hostile Indo-Pacific.

Thank you for your support. https://t.co/1NQHAcowvh

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 1, 2025

Anthony Albanese was among the many world leaders to publicly post messages of support for Mr Zelenskyy and his country after the White House incident.

Speaking to reporters at Parliament House, the Prime Minister said backing Ukraine was “an issue of doing what is right”.

“The brave people of Ukraine led so extraordinarily by President Zelenskyy are fighting not just for their national sovereignty and for their democracy, they are fighting for the international rule of law,” Mr Albanese said.

“And it is an easy choice that Australia has made – it’s a bipartisan position that Australia has had – we have contributed $1.5bn of support, $1.3bn of which is military support.”

‘He is a problem’

Earlier, senators warned that if Mr Trump continued his “tantrums”, Australia may need to rethink its reliance on the US and find other options to address security challenges.

Remarking on Mr Trump’s exchange with Mr Zelensky, senator Jacqui Lambie said it was clear the Ukrainian leader “has the backing of the Western world”.

Senator Jacqui Lambie says US President Donald Trump is ‘extremely unstable’. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“There’s no doubt about that,” she told Nine’s Today, appearing opposite Coalition senator Dave Sharma.

“If Trump wants to continue with his tantrums and change his mind every hour, then you have to leave him out of the equation because he’s extremely unstable and that is not good for world order.”

The veteran went on to say “we need to back Zelensky”.

“If we let Russia take over … Ukraine, where’s it going next? Outside of Europe, inside of Europe, you know, what’s the next country?

“That’s why they’re all now spending more money on their defence.”

She also called for Australia to “make more Bushmasters” to send to Ukraine and speed up the delivery of promised battle tanks.

Australia has provided north of $1.5bn worth of aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than three years ago.

Some 11,400 Ukrainians fleeing the war have found safe haven in Australia.

‘We will need to do more’

Meanwhile, Senator Sharma said Canberra may need to rethink its reliance on the US to guarantee Australia’s security.

He said Mr Trump had “been quite clear that it is now a different foreign policy”.

“America first, if you want to call it that,” he said.

“It leaves us in a position where we need to do a lot more to look after our own defence and security needs.

“I mean, in the Asia Pacific, the US has a strong network of alliances, including with Australia, but also with Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand that underpins stability in that region.

“And if the US can’t be relied upon to always uphold those alliance relationships unless it sees it in its own interests, then we will need to do more.”

Senator Dave Sharma, a former diplomat, suggested Australia needed to rethink its reliance on the US. NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Senator Sharma’s comments echoed opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson, who on Sunday warned that Australia “wouldn’t want China to misinterpret what is happening in Europe”.

“Firstly, we want the Americans to continue to support Ukraine because it is possible that China would take lessons in our region, including in relation to Taiwan, which would be a disaster,” Senator Paterson told Sky.

“It would be a mistake for China to believe that the United States views the Indo-Pacific in the same way.”

Tensions with China have been building over the past decade, as Canberra and Beijing find themselves competing for regional influence.

The largely economic rivalry has in recent years taken an increasingly militaristic shape, with the Albanese government warning of a “new Indo-Pacific missile age”.

The new nature of the contest has been highlighted by Chinese warships now lurking off Australia’s southwest coast.

Originally published as Australia’s views on Ukraine ‘very different’ to the US, Peter Dutton says