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The federal defence minister has indicated the government is unlikely to grant Ukraine’s request for a shipment of coal to help keep the nation’s power grid operating.
Ukraine’s ambassador wrote to Foreign Minister Penny Wong earlier this month asking for energy aid.
Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing an estimated $1 billion worth of damage in recent attacks.
Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko said not a single power plant in Ukraine had not been targeted or sustained damage, and the nation was already facing blackouts.
Asked whether Australia would provide help, Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australia would provide the support that was most practical.
“The support that we are providing now is very much focused on military support around allowing Ukraine to prosecute this conflict with Russia and that is where our focus is and that is where Ukraine wants our focus to be,” Mr Marles said.
“In all that we are doing we are looking at how our support can be sustainable and ongoing because we need to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes for Ukraine to resolve this conflict on its terms. It also needs to be practical and we are talking with Ukraine about how best we can do that.”
The Ukrainian ambassador said the nation had already asked for coal shipments in December, but was asking again because the need had become critical.
“It’s not only for thermal power and in terms of heating, it’s also for electricity, which is necessary for industry … defence industry, to make sure that we can keep on going,” Mr Myroshnychenko said.
“So it’s a matter of survival for us in a way.”
Ukraine’s request in December was not responded to, the ambassador said.
Analyst says Australia lacks long-term plan to support Ukraine
Jennifer Parker, expert associate at the Australian National University’s National Security College, said unlike most countries, Australia had not provided a “long-term, multi-year” plan of support for Ukraine, and it had also slipped in the rankings of international support for Kyiv.
She said the energy situation had worsened since Ukraine’s previous request.
“When we think about Ukraine’s security infrastructure, we know since March this year Russia has really increased its attacks on energy infrastructure,” Ms Parker said.
“Once winter comes … we know that it gets below freezing, so it is a real concern.”
Ms Parker said because of Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, it was now taking an additional fortnight and about $1 million more in fuel for Australian ships to reach Europe.
Australia previously gifted 70,000 tonnes of coal to Ukraine in 2022 at the outbreak of Russia’s war.
That shipment was made to Poland, and then delivered to Ukraine by rail.
The federal government also committed to an additional $100 million in support for Ukraine in its federal budget earlier this month.