Australian opposition leader vows to lobby Trump on Ukraine
The leader of the Australian opposition, Peter Dutton, announced that if he becomes prime minister, he will urge U.S. President Donald Trump to reconsider his stance on Ukraine.
Peter Dutton had previously criticized Donald Trump for calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator," and he is now further distancing himself from the American leader's policies, especially following the recent incident at the White House.
I was disappointed by the scenes out of the White House. I believe that President Zelensky requires the support of European countries, of the United States, and countries like Australia as well, Dutton said during a press conference on Monday, as quoted by theconversation.com.
Dutton emphasized that the United States remains a key ally of Australia but noted that his country's interests do not always align with American political decisions. The opposition leader said that making decisions in Australia's best interest sometimes means opposing even our friends and traditional allies. Our views have diverged.
In relation to Ukraine, the Australian view at the moment is different to the United States, and my job as prime minister will be to lobby the president of the United States to reconsider his position in relation to Ukraine, Dutton continued.
In mid-February, abc.net.au reported that "a YouGov poll indicates that Peter Dutton is likely to become the next prime minister." His ratings are therefore high.
Australia supports Ukraine
Since the beginning of the war, Australia has consistently supported Ukraine, providing about 1.5 billion Australian dollars in aid, of which 1.3 billion dollars is military support.
The current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reiterated Australia's unwavering support for Ukraine during a government session on Monday.
We regard this as an issue of doing what’s right, but also what is in Australia’s national interest, said Albanese. The brave people of Ukraine, led so extraordinarily by President Zelensky, are fighting not just for their national sovereignty and for their democracy. They are fighting for the international rule of law. And it is an easy choice that Australia has made, he added, quoted by theconversation.com.
