
Australia delivers Abrams tanks to Ukraine for war with Russia
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's government said on Saturday it had delivered M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine as part of a A$245 million ($160 million) package to help the country defend itself against Russia in their ongoing war.
Australia, one of the largest non-NATO contributors to Ukraine, has been supplying aid, ammunition and defence equipment since Moscow invaded its neighbour in February 2022.
Ukraine has taken possession of most of the 49 tanks given by Australia, and the rest will be delivered in coming months, said Defence Minister Richard Marles.
'The M1A1 Abrams tanks will make a significant contribution to Ukraine's ongoing fight against Russia's illegal and immoral invasion," Marles said in a statement.
The tanks formed part of the A$1.5 billion ($980 million) that Canberra has provided Ukraine in the conflict, the government said.
Australia has also banned exports of alumina and aluminium ores, including bauxite, to Russia, and has sanctioned about 1,000 Russian individuals and entities.
Australia's centre-left Labor government this year labelled Russia as the aggressor in the conflict and called for the war to be resolved on Kyiv's terms.
($1 = 1.5366 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
19 minutes ago
- The Star
Trump sets 10 to 12-day deadline for Russia on war with Ukraine
A view shows an apartment building that was damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 28, 2025. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko TURNBERRY, Scotland (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he was setting a new 10 or 12-day deadline for Russia over its war in Ukraine, underscoring his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin for prolonging fighting between the two sides. Speaking in Scotland, where he is holding meetings with European leaders and playing golf, Trump said he was disappointed in Putin and shortening a 50-day deadline he had set on the issue earlier this month. "I'm going to make a new deadline of about ... 10 or 12 days from today," Trump told reporters during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "There's no reason in waiting... We just don't see any progress being made." The U.S. president has repeatedly voiced exasperation with Putin for continuing attacks on Ukraine despite U.S. efforts to end the war. Before returning to the White House in January, Trump, who views himself as a peacemaker, had promised to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict within 24 hours. "I'm disappointed in President Putin," Trump said on Monday. "I'm going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number because I think I already know the answer what's going to happen." There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin. Trump has threatened new sanctions on Russia and buyers of its exports unless an agreement is reached by early September. But the president, who has also expressed annoyance with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has not always followed up on his tough talk about Putin with action, citing what he deems a good relationship that the two men have had previously. "We thought we had that settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever," Trump said. "And I say that's not the way to do it." (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Andrea Shalal in Scotland; additional reporting by Jeff Mason and William James; writing by Jeff Mason; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Chizu Nomiyama )


The Star
19 minutes ago
- The Star
Trump says he is setting new 10 to 12-day deadline for Russia on war
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam November 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo


The Sun
19 minutes ago
- The Sun
Multitude of positive factors entrench Malaysia's economy on growth trajectory
KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Governor Datuk Seri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour has expressed optimism that Malaysia's economy remains on a strong growth trajectory due to multiple factors, such as resilient domestic demand and encouraging exports of electrical and electronic (E&E) products, despite headwinds from impending tariffs. The central bank governor said today that among the combination of positive factors supporting the economy are the frontloading of exports in the first six months, robust tourism activity that could raise Malaysia's export prospects, low unemployment and rising wages. Moreover, he highlighted that about 85 per cent of Malaysia's exports go to markets other than the United States (US). While uncertainties remain, particularly surrounding the final shape and scale of the US tariffs, BNM's revised growth forecast of 4.0 per cent to 4.8 per cent has taken into account multiple scenarios, including potential trade disruptions. 'We have accounted for a range of tariff scenarios, including both favourable and less unfavourable trade negotiations outcomes as well as pro-growth policies in major economies. 'A diversified export structure will help contain the direct effect from the US, as around 85 per cent of exports are to non-US markets, and no single market accounts for more than 15 per cent of Malaysia's exports,' he told Bernama in an exclusive interview. Abdul Rasheed noted that Malaysia's exports are spread across a wide range of products, consisting of E&E (40 per cent), non-E&E manufacturing goods (46 per cent) and commodities (14 per cent). He said almost half of the demand for Malaysian exports comes from Advanced Asia (19.4 per cent) and ASEAN countries (29 per cent). Domestically, Abdul Rasheed highlighted that domestic demand drives more than 90 per cent of Malaysia's economic growth. 'Consumption is still resilient despite the tariff announcement, it's still resilient because income is still growing. Wages are still on an increasing trend, he said. In terms of unemployment, Abdul Rashee said that the rate is at three per cent and is lower than before the Covid-19 pandemic. 'People have jobs. These are things that will support the consumption,' he said, adding that the government's ongoing policy support measures remain in place and support the growth. On July 23, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a cost-of-living relief package, which includes a one-off RM100 SARA cash aid, a reduction in the RON95 fuel price, toll hike postponements, and an expanded Rahmah Madani Sales allocation. 'This will also provide some kind of spending from the rakyat and drive our domestic consumption,' he added. Turning to investments, Abdul Rasheed said Malaysia recorded RM378 billion in approved investments last year, with over half coming from domestic sources. He said these are tied to long-term national development plans and are expected to sustain momentum through this year and into 2026. In terms of exports, which are likely to be moderate in the second half of 2025 (2H 2025) as tariffs take effect and global growth slows, BNM expects E&E exports to continue supporting growth. Abdul Rasheed said this is underpinned by resilient demand for E&E and emerging opportunities in the artificial intelligence-related segment. 'So this is where I think the question comes on tariffs. Exports will definitely be affected; everything in the world will be affected. However, if you look at global trade numbers, they are still growing. 'Despite the challenging global environment, exports remained supportive of growth in 1H 2025, helped by robust growth in E&E exports.' 'Frontloading activities ahead of anticipated tariff increase contributed to stronger export performance in the second quarter of 2025, although this has tapered down particularly in June,' he said. Abdul Rasheed highlighted that inbound tourism was also expected to provide support for exports in 2H 2025, driven by higher flight connectivity, visa exemptions and promotional activities leading to Visit Malaysia 2026. He said international visitor arrivals into Malaysia were 16.9 million from January to May 2025, which is 20 per cent higher than the same period in 2024.