Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - On Friday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that he will attend "an important&q...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - On Friday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that he will attend "an important" NATO summit in Madrid at the end of the month, as the US-led alliance seeks to improve ties in the aftermath of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Australia has been giving aid and defence equipment to Ukraine and has restricted the sale of alumina and aluminium ores, including bauxite, to Russia, making it one of the greatest non-NATO contributors to the West's support for the country.
"As a priority, I'm travelling to NATO... to help the people of Ukraine in their fight against Russia's thuggish illegal behaviour," Albanese said on Friday.
NATO leaders will meet in Madrid on June 29-30 to discuss long-term reform of the alliance, despite disputes over force numbers and deployments.
NATO has increased its presence in the Baltics in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, which Moscow describes as a "special military operation."
Albanese, who has only been in office for a month, refused to acknowledge claims that he had received an invitation to visit Kyiv from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Zelenskiy sent the invitation in a letter to Prime Minister Albanese congratulating him on his election victory.
Russia barred 121 Australian citizens from entering the country on Thursday, accusing them of pursuing a "Russophobic campaign."
Hundreds of Russian persons and businesses have been sanctioned, including the majority of the country's banking sector and all bodies responsible for the country's sovereign debt.
