Senator the Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs meets locally engaged staff, Nadia Terokhina, Oleksandr Lazarchuk and Anna Shcherbak at the Canadian / Australian Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine on 18 December, 2024.
The Foreign Minister travelled to Kyiv to express Australia’s unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine and announce further support to assist them in response to Russia’s brutal, illegal war. Australia has unequivocally condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and provided more than $1.5 billion in assistance to Ukraine since the full-scale conflict began in February 2022. In Kyiv, she met with Ukraine’s Prime Minister Shmyhal, Foreign Minister Sybiha, Defence Minister Umerov and Deputy Energy Minister Roman Andarak and announced that the Albanese Government is building on our commitment to Ukraine with $66 million to the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, to assist with Ukraine’s vital recovery and reconstruction efforts and a contribution of $10 million in assistance to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund to provide heat and electricity for Ukrainians.
She also visited the site of Australia’s Embassy in Kyiv that was closed by the Morrison Government in 2022, where she was updated on the progress of work to enable the full return of Australia’s diplomatic presence and announced the reopening of the Embassy and return of Australia’s Ambassador as well as the Deputy Head of Mission to Kyiv.
She met families at ‘Save Ukraine’ – a community organisation that supports vulnerable Ukrainian families and children that have been damaged by the conflict and announced that Australia will contribute $80,000 to help facilitate their work.
