The Australian ambassador to Ukraine will return to Kyiv next month, nearly three years after the embassy was evacuated due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced this during her first visit to Ukraine, following repeated calls from the Ukrainian side, including President Zelenskyy, for Canberra to move its diplomatic representation back from Poland.
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02-08, 2025Wong stated that this visit and the reopening of the embassy come at a "crucial moment for your country and its people’s future," while there remains significant uncertainty about the impact that US President-elect Donald Trump will have on the war. She indicated that Ambassador Paul Lehmann, who accompanied her on the visit to Kyiv, will return to the Ukrainian capital next month, and the embassy will resume normal operations "in the coming months."
Wong reiterated her condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin's "unprovoked, unjustified and immoral invasion," calling him a "coward" for using Russia's veto power as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to block international condemnation. "He has now sunk to new lows by inviting North Korea to cooperate in an attempt to win this war," she said on Wednesday (Thursday AEST). "This reminds us that security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is interconnected."
Wong emphasized, "Australia stands with Ukraine, and we want you to be able to end this war on your own terms. We want Ukrainians to be able to live in peace and to be able to rebuild their lives and their homes." Australian embassy staff were first told to evacuate Kyiv to Lviv in early 2022 as concerns about Russia's invasion plans escalated, and then they moved to Warsaw as the situation intensified further.
When asked if the embassy's reopening, months after most Western allies had reopened theirs, had damaged relations between the two countries, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said it had not. "No, first of all, we are very grateful for the reopening of the embassy," he said. "It is an important element in deepening bilateral relations because the ambassador can get information firsthand and have more direct communication. It is also a symbol of solidarity with Ukraine. The Australian people understand the suffering of the Ukrainian people, and we welcome deeper bilateral relations."
Lehmann said he was "very pleased" to be returning to Ukraine and praised the "important" work done by Canadian diplomats in helping the Australian embassy to reopen. Wong also announced that Australia would provide $66 million to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to help with Ukraine's reconstruction and recovery, and an additional $10 million to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. "We are unwavering in our support for the Ukrainian people," the Foreign Minister said. "Australia stands with you, and we hope that I can come back here again and see a peaceful, stable Ukraine that has ended this war on your own terms."
The situation on the ground in Ukraine remains complex, with both sides vying for battlefield advantages to gain leverage in any negotiations to end the nearly three-year war. Zelenskyy met with Trump in Paris earlier this month and, along with other Ukrainian officials, has been working to secure Trump's continued support for Ukraine. However, the President-elect has strongly criticized US Democrats for attempting to use all funds designated for Ukraine to help defend against the Russian invasion before he takes office on January 20.
He called Biden's decision last month to allow Ukrainian forces to use US long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory "stupid" and suggested he might reverse the decision, while expressing anger that the incoming administration was not consulted. On Monday, Trump reiterated his call for Zelenskyy and Putin to negotiate an end to the war, calling the deaths and despair caused by the conflict a "slaughter." However, he also seemed to acknowledge that finding an immediate end to the war might be difficult, after previously suggesting he could accomplish this within 24 hours of taking office.
