Albo's gesture amid Ukraine tragedy
Anthony Albanese has hugged Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G7 Summit in a show of support for Ukraine's years-long fight against invading Russian forces.
It came as the Ukrainian capital Kyiv suffered its deadliest attack in almost a year.
The Albanese government has pledged to continue backing Ukraine for 'as long as it takes' amid crumbling US support.
Washington's commitment to Australia has also been called into question by the Trump administration's 'America first' agenda.
Posting a video capturing the embrace on social media, the Prime Minister said Australia was 'playing our part' in finding solutions to the many problems facing the world. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hugged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. NewsWire / Handout Credit: NewsWire The hug came as the Ukrainian capital Kyiv suffered its deadliest Russian attack in almost a year. NewsWire / Handout Credit: NewsWire
'Whether it's economic resilience, peace and security, critical minerals or climate action – today's G7 discussions are about practical solutions to global challenges and opportunities,' Mr Albanese said.
'And Australia is playing our part.'
The hug came after world leaders gathered for G7 family photos with one noticeable absence.
Donald Trump hastily bailed on the summit in Canada due to the rapidly escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Both Mr Albanese and Mr Zelenskyy consequently missed out on high-stakes bilateral meetings with the US President.
But there has been no shortage of rhetoric from G7 leaders supporting Ukraine, with Canada announcing a fresh $2.2bn military aid package.
Australia has so far provided more than $1.5bn in humanitarian and military support.
At least 16 people were killed by Russian missile strikes in Kyiv on Tuesday.
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