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Anthony Albanese says Australia will send a “senior representative” to a meeting of European defence leaders in Paris as he considers sending peacekeepers as part of ending the war in Ukraine.
The prime minister on Sunday said he’d had a “very constructive discussion” with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer the previous evening about Australia potentially contributing to a “coalition of the willing for Ukraine”.
Albanese said the government will send a senior representative to France for the meeting between Europe’s top five military powers on Tuesday, to discuss “going forward”.
“Both of us, both of our nations, are very clear about our support for Ukraine,” Albanese told reporters in Canberra.
“You can’t have peacekeeping forces without having peace. So moving forward, though, it is important that planning be put in place and Australia will participate in that meeting.”
Asked whether he discussed sending Australian troops with his UK counterpart, Albanese said it was too early.
“I certainly have said very clearly, publicly, repeatedly, that we would give consideration to participating in any peacekeeping mission in the Ukraine,” he said.
The prime minister said he also discussed the AUKUS partnership with Starmer, under which Australia is set to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
Australia has committed more than $1.5 billion in aid to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion more than three years ago.
France’s defence minister will host his counterparts from the UK, Germany, Italy and Poland following the decision from the US to suspend military aid to Ukraine.
