Australia will give Ukraine heavy artillery weapons and ammunition as Russia steps up its offensive in the Donbas, according to a statement from government officials. The $26.7 million worth of military assistance will see Ukraine provided with six M777 lightweight towed howitzers along with ammunition. It takes Australia’s military assistance contribution to Ukraine to $225 million, with a further $65 million provided in humanitarian aid along with more than 70,000 tonnes of thermal coal.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Defence Minister Peter Dutton said in a statement the equipment offers further support to combat Russia’s “brutal, unrelenting and illegal invasion”.
“The Australian government will continue to identify opportunities for further military assistance where it is able to provide a required capability to the Ukraine Armed Forces expeditiously,” Morrison said. “The Australian government reiterates our strongest support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and for the people of Ukraine. Australia stands with the people of Ukraine, and again calls on Russia to cease its unprovoked, unjust and illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
The additional support had been requested by the United States and Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko. The Australian government says it will continue to look at opportunities for additional military assistance where it can be provided expeditiously.
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As noble as this is Australia doesn’t have a huge reserve of artillery, in fact with just 55 howitzers (about to be 49 with this) the Army doesn’t have enough Artillery for its own needs.
Then there’s the issues that Australia has provided Ukraine with more than its fair share of defensive systems already such as Bushmaster armoured vehicles.
This is a European issue and not Australia’s fight. Australia needs its equipment for its own forces to fight in its own region and be prepared to fight cut off from any support. Giving away a very limited resource like this is just not a good idea.
While we need to be sensible about it, I’m all in favour of doing as much as we possibly can for Ukraine. The situation is insane, with Putin looking to destroy the entire country and as a civilised nation Australia needs to be doing our bit. The Hanwha ‘Huntsman’ 155mm SPH is under contract here – and that’s a far more formidable system than the towed M777s it is replacing. I’m not sure of the delivery schedule but they are in series production in Korea – Hanwha have churned out more than 1,000 of them – and I imagine that if we wanted some more very quickly there would be ways of expediting that process.
Wouldn’t it make more sense for Australia to pay for some from the US. My understanding is that the US marine corps is in the process of disbanding most of their M777 howitzer battalions so that means they literally have hundreds of them surplus.
The whole situation is insane and I’m still puzzled by it all. It was something was was guaranteed to happen since the Madien of 2014, rather than build Ukraine up to form a level of deterrence, they (Europe and the US) left them weak and open to the risk of invasion. It’s almost like the foreign policy establishment of the US wanted the war to happen so they could give Russia a black eye and hopefully force out Putin.
Then on the other side of the coin we have wars like in Yemen were Saudi Arabia is basically given a pass on war crimes. 400,000 civilians dead and counting there and no body seems to care.
I’m not saying that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is right at all, because it’s not, it’s indefensible. It’s just seems puzzling to me and it’s reaks of geopolitical games.
A 2019 Ran Corporation (who have influence over US policy decisions at the administrative level) talks about different means to weaken Russia and one of those methods is to use Ukraine to do so.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB10014.html
I guess my thoughts are let Europe and the US deal with Russia, we have more pressing matters that we need to prepare for in the form of China.
I mean it’s frustrating enough that the US seems far more interested in going after Russia when China is the real threat. And us ANZACs in the pacific are the ones who it’s going to affect most, so our attention my be laser focused on the pacific.
The other factor Australia has to take into account is I find my NZ government under its current administration with its ideological bent seems like it has no interest in the defence of pacific against China. There are no capabilities in the NZDF that would be of any use other than 4 P-8s that would be useful for anti submarine work only that are currently under contract. There are no future plans or any other offensive or defensive systems that would be of any use of in a fight against China in the pacific.
Some in the Russian Army are just evil. Cutting off heads, execution by pistol, shelling schools, civil housing and as of tonights news vision of booby trapping baby cots with explosives.
Australia does not share a land border, we can give the guns, Bushmasters and a lot more to help beat these barbarians back.
Yes, I agree. It’s awful.