Australia will supply 30 additional Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles to Ukraine to assist in its resistance to Russia’s invasion.
The latest tranche increases the Australian Bushmaster commitment to 120, raising the country’s overall military aid to 890 million Australian dollars ($606 million).
Before the announcement, Australia sent 70 assorted military vehicles to Ukraine alongside a supply of 105-millimeter artillery ammunition and a $6.8 million contribution to the UN-led Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund.
“Australian Bushmasters have been used extensively by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and our additional contribution of 30 vehicles will bolster Ukraine’s capabilities,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.
“We are providing sustainable and meaningful support to Ukraine, including through our humanitarian assistance and through our diplomacy.”
“Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an attack on us all. It is an assertion that a larger country is entitled to subjugate a smaller neighbour.”
Continued Support for Ukraine
This month, Canberra also pledged to deploy an E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft in Germany to secure Ukrainian military and humanitarian assistance.
The surveillance platform will be accompanied by up to 100 Australian ground crew and associated personnel in six months. The aircraft will not enter Ukrainian, Russian, or Belarusian airspace.
“From the start of this invasion, Australia has stood by Ukraine in the face of Russia’s aggression, which is a gross violation of international law,” Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles stated.
“The gifting of further military support is a tangible sign of our nation’s ongoing commitment to Ukraine and the rules-based international order.”
“We call on Russia to end this appalling war so peace can be restored as quickly as possible.”
In May, Australia said it would procure 78 Bushmasters for $106 million to replenish vehicles sent to Ukraine.
The contract ordered command and troop carrier variants, with the deliveries expected through the next 18 months.