This week in Australian foreign affairs: Australia delivers M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine; dates announced for AUKMIN meetings in Australia; Wong issues a joint statement on Occupied Palestinian Territories, and more.
On 19 July, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles joined Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy to announce the transfer of the first tranche of Australian-gifted M1A1 Abrams tanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Australia is providing altogether 49 Abrams tanks to help “bolster its fight against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion.” Delivery of the final tranche will occur in the coming months, the statement reads. This support is valued at approximately AUD$245 million, and contributes to the more than $1.5 billion in assistance Australia has committed to Ukraine since the start of the conflict. According to the statement, the “Abrams tanks will add to the mobility and firepower of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, and complement other partners’ support for Ukraine’s armoured brigades.” Additional support includes the deployment of a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to Europe in August to help protect a vital international gateway for assistance to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Australian Defence Force also continues to contribute to multinational efforts to train Ukrainian military personnel under Operation Kudu.
Marles joined Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong on 25 July to announce dates for the 15th Australia-United Kingdom Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN). Australia will welcome the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy and Secretary of State for Defence John Healey to Sydney for AUKMIN. “This will be the second AUKMIN since the election of the Starmer Government and an important opportunity to deepen our cooperation in key areas of our partnership,” the statement reads. “On Sunday, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister will join their counterparts in Darwin to see this cooperation firsthand, with the deployment of a United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group to Australia as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.”
On 21 July, Wong issued a joint statement on the Occupied Palestinian Territories urging an end to the war in Gaza now. The joint statement calls the Israeli government’s aid delivery model dangerous, noting that it “fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,” the statement reads. The statement further calls: “on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and to urgently enable the UN and humanitarian NGOs to do their life saving work safely and effectively; and on all parties to protect civilians and uphold the obligations of international humanitarian law.” It also strongly opposes any “steps towards territorial or demographic change in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.” The statement also urges “the parties and the international community to unite in a common effort to bring this terrible conflict to an end, through an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire. And “reaffirm[s] our complete support to the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to achieve this.” The statement condemns the captivity of Israeli citizens and suggests that only a “negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope of bringing them home and ending the agony of their families.” The statement does not mention Hamas’ role in the war nor the peace negotiations or their conditions for the end of conflict. The statement reads that “we are prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region,” though what this action is remains unstated.
On 18 July the Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for the Arts, and Leader of the House Tony Burke released a statement of support for UK sanctions against GRU Units 29155, 26165 and 74455. The statement reads: “Australia strongly supports the United Kingdom’s decision to impose cyber sanctions on three units from a Russian military intelligence agency (GRU Units 29155, 26165 and 74455), for their involvement in malicious cyber operations targeting the UK, Ukraine and the EU. Australia stands with the UK in opposing harmful cyber activities by state-affiliated actors and commends the UK for taking this decisive step. The international community has agreed a framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. International law is applicable to state conduct in cyberspace, and is essential to maintaining peace and stability. Russia has repeatedly sought to undermine these shared rules and norms. Australia remains committed to collaborating with international partners to expose unacceptable conduct in cyberspace and to hold malicious actors accountable – helping to protect an open, free, stable, secure, and interoperable digital environment.”
Dr Adam Bartley is the managing editor for AIIA’s Australian Outlook and weekly columnist for The Week in Australian Foreign Affairs. He is a former Fulbright Scholar and non-resident fellow at the Elliot School for International Affairs, the George Washington University. Adam also has positions as post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation RMIT University and as program manager of the AI Trilateral Experts Group. He can be found on Twitter here.
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