Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Tuesday that his country has contributed A$70 million ($50 million) to fund Ukraine’s lethal defensive weapons, which would include missiles and ammunition.
As of last week, Australia had stated that it would only fund military technical assistance. This week, it has reversed its position.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Morrison stated that the vast majority of the new arms money for Ukraine would be in the lethal category.
“We’re talking about missiles, we’re talking about ammo, we’re talking about assisting them in their defence of their own homeland in Ukraine, and we’ll be doing that in collaboration with NATO,” said the president.
He stated that the weaponry will be delivered quickly, but he did not elaborate on how.
Morrison also encouraged Australians not to come to Ukraine to fight alongside the country’s militia against the Russian military, claiming that the legal status of foreign civilian soldiers was unclear.
“Please don’t do that,” he said.
Australia will provide A$35 million in humanitarian assistance to international organisations that are aiding Ukrainians with shelter, food, medical treatment, water, and education, he said in a statement.
