Zelenskyy urges new sanctions against Russia in address to Australian parliament
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for further sanctions on Russia during a virtual address to the Australian parliament on Thursday.
“The distance between our country is big;” said Zelenskyy; “but there is no such thing as distance to Russians’ brutality to our Ukrainian land.”
Zelenskyy warns of great implications to global security if Russia isn’t stopped; and also spoke about what will come after the war, calling on nations and companies to invest in the restoration of Ukraine. Zelensky specifically spoke about the development of ports and cities on the Black Sea and rebuilding the naval sector.
Australia then pledged to provide “an additional $25 million AUD of defensive military assistance for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
The new package will include tactical decoys, unmanned aerial and unmanned ground systems, rations and medical supplies, according to a government statement.
In an earlier statement, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison replied to Zelensky — who he referred to as a “lion of democracy” — to express his country’s solidarity
We stand with you, Mr. President, and we do not stand with the war criminal of Moscow, Mr. President.
I know that man. You know that man. We know that man, Mr Speaker.
And we know his regime. We have seen them unleash unspeakable horror against your children, your hospitals and shelters,” Morrison said.
Some context: Australia has imposed sanctions on more than 500 Russian individuals and entities, including oligarchs with close connections to President Vladimir Putin as well as Russia’s finance ministry.
Australia has provided military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and also announced a ban on exports of alumina and aluminum ore to Russia. Russia relies on Australia for nearly 20% of its alumina needs, according to the Australian government.
Meanwhile,
Germany will be poorer due to Ukraine war, but it’s a small price to pay, says economy minister
The German economy minister has warned that his country; Europe’s largest economy will take a hit following the war in Ukraine.
Also read: Germany registers over 64,000 refugees
Robert Habeck told public broadcaster ZDF on Wednesday: “We will be poorer.”
“It is not possible that this ends without costs for the German society, it is unthinkable. I believe that we are ready to pay this price which is small enough compared to the sufferings in Ukraine,” he added.
We are a war party, an economic war party, Habeck said. “And we are paying [a] high price, a price that is not comparable to the price that Ukrainians are paying. They are dying, they are being displaced, they are being shelled, we have a high inflation.”
Spat over gas supplies; On Wednesday, Germany issued a precautionary “early warning” of possible natural gas shortages after Russia said it wanted to be paid in rubles and threatened to cut off supplies if that didn’t happen. Germany said it was committed to a G7 agreement that energy supplies from Russia would be paid for only in euros or US dollars.
Russia later said Germany could pay in euros, which would then be converted into rubles via Gazprom Bank; which is not affected by sanctions. Scholz did not agree to this and has asked for further written information.
