Australia considering reopening Ukraine embassy

29/6/2022 12:11

        Australia is considering reopening its embassy in Kyiv, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday, as it looks to join several of its allies who have resumed operations after removing its diplomats over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
        
        Albanese told reporters in Madrid ahead of a NATO summit, "We would like to have a presence on the ground there to assist and to be able to provide that on-ground presence."
        
        Several NATO members including the United States have recently moved their embassies back to the Ukrainian capital in a show of solidarity after Russia invaded the country in February.
        
        Russia calls its actions a "special military operation" to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. Ukraine and the West say the fascist allegation is baseless and that the war is an unprovoked act of aggression.
        
        Albanese also condemned a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk, far from any frontlines, that killed at least 18 people.