Australia Prepares Additional Military, Humanitarian Assistance To Ukraine - Government

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th March, 2022) Australia is allocating an additional $15.5 million in military aid to Kiev and will also provide Ukraine with $22 million in emergency humanitarian assistance, the Australian government said on Sunday.

"Following discussions between the Prime Minister (Scott Morrison) and the Minister for Defence (Peter Dutton) and their Ukrainian counterparts, it is clear that Ukraine's need for military assistance remains urgent and ongoing. In response, Defence has developed an additional $21 million (about 15.5 USD) support package of defensive military assistance for Ukrainian Armed Forces, which will bring Australia's total military assistance so far to $91 million," the Australian government said in a statement, released by the country's foreign ministry.

According to the release, the military aid will include "additional material from Australian Defence Force stocks."

Australia is also providing Kiev with additional humanitarian aid, the Australian government said.

"Today, the Morrison Government commits to an additional $30 million (22.2 USD) in emergency humanitarian assistance. This contribution will focus on protecting women, children, the elderly and the disabled, and takes the total we have so far committed to $65 million," the government statement says.

Australia is also allocating funds through non-government organisations under the Australian Humanitarian Partnership, as well as the United Nations Population Fund and the World food Programme, to support civilians in Ukraine.

In the early hours of February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) appealed for help in defending themselves against the Kiev forces. Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine and that only military infrastructure is being targeted - the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.