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
30 minutes ago
- The Star
How do Cambodia and Thailand's militaries compare?
BANGKOK: Months of simmering tensions between Cambodia and Thailand exploded into armed conflict on Thursday (July 24), including the deployment of a Thai F-16 fighter, in the heaviest fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in over a decade. Here is a look at the defence forces and arsenals of two countries, according to data from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies: Cambodia had a defence budget of US$1.3bil in 2024 and 124,300 active military personnel. The armed forces were established in 1993 from the merger of the country's former Communist military and two other resistance armies. Of this, the Cambodian army is the largest force, with some 75,000 soldiers, backed by more than 200 battle tanks and around 480 pieces of artillery. Thailand, which the U.S. classifies as a major non-Nato ally, has a large, well-funded military, with a defence budget of $5.73 billion in 2024 and over 360,000 active armed forces personnel. The Thai army has a total of 245,000 personnel, including an estimated 115,000 conscripts, around 400 battle tanks, over 1,200 armoured personnel carriers and some 2,600 artillery weapons. The army has its own fleet of aircraft, comprising passenger planes, helicopters such as dozens of U.S.-made Black Hawks, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Cambodia's air force has 1,500 personnel, with a relatively small fleet of aircraft, including 10 transport planes and 10 transport helicopters. It doesn't possess any fighter aircraft but has 16 multi- role helicopters, including six Soviet-era Mi-17s and 10 Chinese Z-9s. Thailand has one of the best equipped and trained air forces in Southeast Asia, with an estimated 46,000 personnel, 112 combat capable aircraft, including 28 F-16s and 11 Swedish Gripen fighter jets, and dozens of helicopters. The Cambodian navy has an estimated 2,800 personnel, including 1,500 naval infantry, with 13 patrol and coastal combat vessels and one amphibious landing craft. Thailand's navy is much larger, with nearly 70,000 personnel, comprising naval aviation, marines, coastal defence and conscripts. It has one aircraft carrier, seven frigates, and 68 patrol and coastal combat vessels. The Thai fleet also contains a handful of amphibious and landing ships capable of holding hundreds of troops each and 14 smaller landing craft. Thailand's naval aviation division has its own fleet of aircraft, including helicopters and UAVs, besides a marine corps that has 23,000 personnel, backed by dozens of armed fighting vehicles. - Reuters
The Star
43 minutes ago
- The Star
Emerging Markets - Thai assets stumble amid border clashes, but Asia stocks rally on trade boost
BANGKOK (Reuters): Emerging Asian stock markets held on to their rallies on Thursday, as a flurry of agreements between regional economies and Washington lifted investor optimism and increased their appetite for riskier assets. The MSCI index of emerging Asian equities rose as much as 0.5% to its highest level since September 2021, while a sub-index tracking ASEAN stocks, led by heavyweight Singaporean banks, hit a 10-month peak. However, Thailand diverged from the rally as the baht was the only emerging Asian currency to weaken, while the benchmark SET Index fell 1.1%, as escalating border tensions with Cambodia unnerved investors. A Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets across the border, both governments confirmed, after weeks of rising friction over disputed territory erupted into violence, leaving at least 11 civilians dead. Analysts at Phillip Securities said the heightened geopolitical risk had undermined expectations for cross-border trade, making it unlikely the two nations will meet their 480 billion baht ($14.88 billion) bilateral trade target by 2027. However, driving the rally in Asia was growing conviction that more trade pacts with the United States could follow recent deals signed with Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. These agreements, struck at tariff levels lower than initially feared, have soothed fears of a prolonged trade war and reinvigorated risk-on sentiment across the region. "The Philippines and Japan trade deals put the pressure on South Korea and the rest of emerging markets to secure one," said Trinh Nguyen and Kelvin Tong at Natixis. "Putting together the latest deals (Japan and the Philippines), it becomes increasingly clear that 10% is the new zero and economies are conceding to a higher but still manageable tariff level to secure market access to the US," they said. Indonesia continued its sharp ascent, adding 0.9% on the day and extending its rally to roughly 10% over the last 14 sessions. The index has fallen just once during that stretch, snapping an 11-day winning streak earlier this week. A recently concluded trade agreement with Washington, which included reduced tariff threats, alongside dovish signals from the central bank, has driven sustained foreign inflows. Singapore's benchmark also rose 0.7%, while equities in Malaysia, Taiwan and China advanced between 0.2% and 0.6%, underscoring broad regional strength. In currency markets, the upbeat trade outlook sparked a retreat in the U.S. dollar, lifting emerging market currencies across the board. The MSCI global EM currency index rose to its highest in over two weeks. The South Korean won led regional gains, climbing 0.5% to its strongest level since July 8, helped by data showing the economy expanded at its fastest pace in over a year during the second quarter. Elsewhere, the Philippine peso, Malaysian ringgit and Singapore dollar appreciated between 0.1% and 0.2%. - Reuters
The Star
43 minutes ago
- The Star
Former security guard at US embassy in Norway charged with espionage
COPENHAGEN (dpa): A former security guard who used to work at the US embassy in Oslo has been charged with spying for Russia and Iran, Norwegian media reported on Wednesday. Oslo prosecutors accuse the man, a Norwegian national, of serious espionage activities related to the US and Norway, public broadcaster NRK reported. He is said to have passed on a blueprint of the embassy, addresses and other information to Iranian and Russian contacts, according to the indictment. The 27-year-old, who was reportedly arrested in November, recognizes the facts laid out by the charges but denies criminal guilt, his defence lawyer told TV 2. The trial has been scheduled to begin in mid-August. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 21 years in prison. - dpa
