Australia will 'stand with Ukraine' after White House row
International Desk
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Saturday his country will "stand with Ukraine" for as long as needed, hours after talks between US President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian leader broke down in acrimony.
Trump erupted at Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, angrily sending the Ukrainian president out of the White House because his counterpart was "not ready" for peace with Russia.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance shouted at Zelensky, accusing him of not being "thankful" for US help in the three-year war.
Following the row, Albanese said Australia would "stand with Ukraine".
"The people of Ukraine are fighting not just for their own national sovereignty, they are fighting for the international rule of law," he told reporters in Sydney.
"We will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes because this is the struggle of a democratic nation versus an authoritarian regime led by Vladimir Putin, who clearly has imperialistic designs not just on Ukraine but throughout that region."
Canberra's relations with Moscow have been tense for years.
Australia opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, condemning it as illegal and immoral, and has committed Aus$1.5 billion (US$931 million) to Ukraine's war effort.
Ties had already been damaged by the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 by a Russian-made missile over eastern Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of 298 people aboard including 38 Australians.
