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A contingent of Australian soldiers have also helped train Ukrainian army recruits in the UK since January.
On the first day of a two-day visit to Vietnam, however, Albanese was not ready to confirm the latest defence aid.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaking at RMIT’s Hanoi campus.Credit: Chris Barrett
“We continue to deliver our Bushmasters. When you make an announcement, it’s not a media release that assists people, it’s actual delivery on the ground,” he said in Hanoi, where he spoke at a RMIT campus.
“We’ve delivered, but not just military support in terms of assets like Bushmasters and other support.
“We’ve provided other technical support as well and of course Australians are in the United Kingdom at the moment assisting to train Ukrainian soldiers to make a difference. I said consistently we’d continue to monitor the situation and deliver what we can when we can.”
An RAAF pilot on a training exercise.Credit: RAAF
Ukrainian officials have previously requested Australia also send Victorian-manufactured Hawkei light-armoured patrol vehicles.
Australia has repeatedly slammed Moscow for its illegal violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and Albanese took renewed aim at Russia during his keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue defence conference on Friday night by calling out its “reprehensible threats to use nuclear force”.
After meeting with Reznikov, meanwhile, Marles wrote on Twitter: “We continue to work with our partners to empower Ukraine to resolve this conflict on its own terms.
“We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
The emergence of a pending new Australian package for Ukraine comes as the besieged nation’s armed forces prepare to launch a counteroffensive in a bid to force Russian troops out of the one-fifth of its territory it has illegally occupied.
“This is not a movie,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday. “It is hard to say how you’ll see the counteroffensive. The main point here is for Russia to see it.
“And not just see but feel it. Especially, we speak about the troops that have occupied our territories.
Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko in front of one of the Bushmasters gifted to Ukraine. Credit: Getty
“De-occupation of our territories: this is the result of our counteroffensive. When you see this, you’ll understand that it has started.”
Zelensky’s plans align with the stance of the United States.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a speech in Finland on Friday that Washington and its allies should not endorse any negotiations for a cease fire along the current lines because of their infringement on Ukrainian sovereignty, AP reported.
“We believe the prerequisite for meaningful diplomacy and real peace is a stronger Ukraine, capable of deterring and defending against any future aggression,” Blinken said.