Marles doesn’t rule out Australian peacekeepers in Ukraine

Richard Marles has not ruled out deploying Australian troops as peacekeepers to Ukraine amid uncertainty swirling around the future of the conflict.

The Defence Minister joined Penny Wong for talks with their British counterparts in London on Monday (local time).

Asked at a joint press conference if Australia would contribute to any peacekeeping activity in Ukraine, Mr Marles reiterated Canberra’s longheld support for Kyiv.

“We will stand by Ukraine and continue our support until it can resolve this conflict on its terms,” he told reporters.

He noted that the Albanese government had recommitted Australian troops to training up Ukrainians in the UK for another year as part of the British-led Operation Interflex.

“We will continue to look at ways in which we can support Ukraine for a long as it takes and we will work really closely with the UK as to what that commitment looks like,” Mr Marles said.

Asked the same question about deploying British troops, UK Defence Secretary John Healey gave a similar response to Mr Marles, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot prevail, he will not prevail, and Ukraine will have our support for as long as it needs”.

“Our job as allied nations that stand steadfast with Ukraine is to support them in any negotiations, just as we will through any battlefield fighting,” Mr Healey said.

The election of Donald Trump in the US has sparked questions about where Ukraine would fit into his America first agenda.

The incoming US president has said he could end the war within 24 hours, raising eyebrows in Ukraine and Western countries, who fear Mr Trump may cut support and try striking a deal with Mr Putin without Kyiv’s input.

Though, NATO members have vowed to continue backing Kyiv, with a growing calls in the alliance’s eastern flank to put troops in Ukraine with a view to deterring Russia’s westward expansion.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has killed and wounded hundreds of thousands on both sides and displaced more than 10 million.

While Russian forces have continued to make minor advances in Ukraine’s east, it has come at an enormous human cost.

Struggling with the losses, Moscow has started sending North Korean troops to the front lines.

Some 11,500 Ukrainians have found safe haven in Australia.

Australia has contributed more than $1.5bn-worth of aid to Ukraine’s fight against invading Russian forces, including 49 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks.

Foreign Minister Wong will travel to Brussels on Tuesday (local time) to meet with NATO counterparts and discuss Australia’s future support for Ukraine.