Australian firms cash in on Europe's security crisis
Since January 2022 – a month before Russia re-invaded Ukraine, triggering the Continent's arms race – 55 Australian defence suppliers have been awarded 277 contracts under the Defence Department's Global Supply Chain program, official figures obtained by The Australian Financial Review showed.
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Perth Now
21 minutes ago
- Perth Now
‘Huge win for China': Warning to Australia
Ukraine's ambassador is warning of a growing threat from China and Russia as Australia marks the end of World War II in the Pacific, saying what happens in his country could 'open a Pandora's box' in the region. On August 15, 1945, the Japanese unconditionally surrendered after the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing hundreds of thousands and unveiling the terrifying might of nuclear weapons. The devastating attack came after nearly four years of heavy fighting that saw Japanese planes bomb Darwin – the only foreign attack on Australian soil. Most of the nearly 40,000 Australians who died fighting the Axis powers lost their lives defending the country against Japan's efforts to take the Pacific. In a statement to NewsWire, Veterans Affairs Minister Matt Keogh said August 15 was 'an important opportunity to acknowledge our greatest generation – both the veterans still with us and those long lost'. 'The sacrifices they made shall never be forgotten,' he said. The US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, instantly killing at least 70,000. News Corp Australia / Archive Credit: News Limited The second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, killed another 80,000. News Corp Australia / Archive Credit: News Corp Australia Eighty years on, the spectre of conflict looms large in the region, with Xi Jinping's desires on Taiwan driving fears of an 'imminent' threat, as the Trump administration describes it. China is the big fish, but Russia too has a formidable presence in the region, as it showed just last week with 'routine' war games with the Chinese. Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine's envoy in Canberra, told NewsWire that Australia should keep a close eye on the deepening defence ties between Beijing and Moscow. 'Indonesia and Russia hosted joint naval exercises in November of last year – why?' he said. 'Why would Russian corvettes would need to be that close to Australia? 'Is there any specific reason why the Russians could be requesting from the Indonesians an air base to locate their strategic bombers? To do what?' 'Pandora's box' Mr Myroshnychenko is no stranger to Vladimir Putin's war schemes. The Russian President ordered the invasion of his country just weeks after his appointment as ambassador to Australia. Mr Putin is set to meet Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday (local time) to discuss a peace deal for Ukraine. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has not been invited. Mr Myroshnychenko was hesitant to pre-empt the talks but said if Ukraine is told to cede territory to Russia, it could be a 'blueprint' for Australia as it manages an increasingly militaristic rivalry with China. 'This is dismantlement of the rules based international system,' he said. 'A permanent member of the UN Security Council, which has nuclear weapons, can change borders by force. 'That's a kind of blueprint which will be in place if the Russians are rewarded for their war of aggression.' He said it would 'open up a Pandora's box in the South China Sea'. 'It will embolden and inspire other authoritarian leaders, of which they all are authoritarian here in the region,' Mr Myroshnychenko said, noting a handful of exceptions, such as New Zealand and Japan. With few democracies around Australia and international norms crumbling, he said 'you need to be strong'. 'You need to have strong military,' Mr Myroshnychenko said. 'You need to have the available capabilities that could deter a potential enemy from taking over Australia, or hurting your interests, or even just projecting power and coercing you. 'That would be a huge win for China and a huge win for other authoritarian leaders.' He said the fact that Russia is a Pacific country means Australia has skin in the game in Ukraine. 'They have a huge Pacific fleet with strategic bombers, nuclear submarines, and they are interested in projecting global power,' Mr Myroshnychenko said. Ukrainian Ambassador to Ukraine Vasyl Myroshnychenko says Australia should keep an eye on deepening defence ties between China and Russia. Marin Ollman / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia He is not the first to stress the links between events in Europe and the simmering Indo Pacific. China is pumping hundreds of billions into Russia's economy, fuelling the Kremlin's war machine. Meanwhile, growing numbers of North Korean troops are joining Moscow's forces on the front lines in Ukraine. The regional uncertainty is not lost on Canberra. Both Labor and the opposition often caution Australia is facing 'the most strategically challenging circumstances' since the Second World War. With self-evident parallels of warring parties in Europe and tinderbox conditions in the Indo-Pacific, Mr Keogh said Victory in the Pacific Day was a reminder of the 'relationships forged' out of the worst war ever waged. 'This day of commemoration is an important reminder of our place in the world, the importance of the relationships forged in the Second World War – alliances that continue to be important to this day, and the need to ensure stability in our region into the future,' he said.
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Zelenskiy to meet UK PM before Trump-Putin summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due in London to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take stock before US President Donald Trump's key talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Zelenskiy, who was in Germany on Wednesday, has been working with European leaders to press Trump not to allow Putin to carve up Ukraine's territory at the Alaska summit. He is due to meet Starmer on Thursday morning at the British premier's official residence, 10 Downing Street. On Wednesday, Trump joined a Germany-hosted virtual meeting with European leaders, including Zelenskiy, who sought to set red lines ahead of the summit on ending the war in Ukraine. Zelenskiy said he warned Trump that the Russian leader was "bluffing" about his desire to end the war. Trump later threatened "severe consequences" if Putin did not agree to peace in Ukraine and while he did not specify what the consequences could be, he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting on Friday proves fruitless. The comments and the outcome of the virtual conference on Wednesday could provide encouragement for Kyiv before the summit on Friday. Trump described the aim of his talks with Putin in Alaska as "setting the table" for a quick follow-up that would include Zelenskiy. "If the first one goes OK, we'll have a quick second one," Trump said. "I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskiy and myself, if they'd like to have me there." Britain, France and Germany, the co-chairs of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing", set out their position on the pathway to a ceasefire in Ukraine in a statement released after Wednesday's virtual meeting.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Zelenskiy to meet UK PM before Trump-Putin summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due in London to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take stock before US President Donald Trump's key talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Zelenskiy, who was in Germany on Wednesday, has been working with European leaders to press Trump not to allow Putin to carve up Ukraine's territory at the Alaska summit. He is due to meet Starmer on Thursday morning at the British premier's official residence, 10 Downing Street. On Wednesday, Trump joined a Germany-hosted virtual meeting with European leaders, including Zelenskiy, who sought to set red lines ahead of the summit on ending the war in Ukraine. Zelenskiy said he warned Trump that the Russian leader was "bluffing" about his desire to end the war. Trump later threatened "severe consequences" if Putin did not agree to peace in Ukraine and while he did not specify what the consequences could be, he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting on Friday proves fruitless. The comments and the outcome of the virtual conference on Wednesday could provide encouragement for Kyiv before the summit on Friday. Trump described the aim of his talks with Putin in Alaska as "setting the table" for a quick follow-up that would include Zelenskiy. "If the first one goes OK, we'll have a quick second one," Trump said. "I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskiy and myself, if they'd like to have me there." Britain, France and Germany, the co-chairs of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing", set out their position on the pathway to a ceasefire in Ukraine in a statement released after Wednesday's virtual meeting.
