THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP
LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
TED O’BRIEN MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
MEMBER FOR FAIRFAX
SENATOR JAMES PATERSON
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
PHILLIP THOMPSON OAM MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY AND DEFENCE PERSONNEL
Four years have passed since Russia’s unprovoked, unjust and unlawful invasion of Ukraine.
The Coalition expresses its heartfelt affection for the Ukrainian people.
When Vladimir Putin’s forces pushed across the border more than 1,400 days ago, Ukrainians made a choice: not a white flag, but a blue and yellow flag.
More than 1,400 days later, Ukrainian courage continues to deny Vladimir Putin the empire he seeks, while Ukrainian resilience continues to be a roar of resistance against tyranny.
Such Ukrainian traits are all the more inspiring when we know what they are enduring: sleepless nights in shelters, cities under constant missile and drone attacks, power outages in brutal winters, and conditions on the frontlines which are a horrific blend of age-old trench warfare and new-age weapons.
In his New Year’s address, the lionhearted President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, spoke of his people’s desire for peace – but not at any cost.
He said, “We want the end of the war – not the end of Ukraine.” President Zelenskyy added that “weak agreements only fuel war”, and that his desire is to “secure a strong peace for everyone. Not for a day, not for a week, not for two months – peace for years.”
Vladimir Putin will not choose peace. And so, it is incumbent on countries in Europe and around the world to apply even greater pressure on the Russian President so that peace is his only option.
In the words delivered by US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, at the Munich Security Conference, now is the time to “rebuke and deter the forces of civilizational erasure.”
To this end, the Coalition calls on the Albanese Government to continue to provide military aid to Ukraine and to impose even greater sanctions on the Russian regime. In concert with other nations, such necessary action can tip the scales towards peace.
What happens in Ukraine matters, because, as President Zelenskyy told the Australian Parliament in 2022, evil can “overcome any distance and any barriers.”
A Ukraine which disappears from the map would only embolden autocrats and authoritarian regimes elsewhere, including in our region.
Slava Ukraini.