Sabra Lane: Australia is boosting its financial support for Ukraine, giving an extra $95 million in military assistance. It's the biggest funding increase in more than a year. A large chunk of funding will go to a European arms buying program, with Australia and New Zealand the first non-NATO countries to contribute to it. The extra support is happening while peace talks flounder, as Stephanie Smali reports.
Stephanie Smail : Despite talks involving Donald Trump's hand-picked peace envoy Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and President Putin himself, Moscow isn't budging. NATO's Secretary-General Mark Rutte is urging Europe to stay strong in its support of Ukraine.
Mark Rutte: We have to continue the pressure on Russia, because we do not know whether the peace process will eventually lead to a successful outcome. If so, we all pray for it. That would be fantastic. And that means continuing the flow of weapons, continuing the economic pressure.
Stephanie Smail : In the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments that he'll fight Europe if necessary, Mark Rutte says the billions of dollars in military support pouring in for Ukraine are crucial. Australia is adding more to the war chest, offering an extra $95 million, which brings Canberra's total defence support to $1.7 billion since Moscow invaded in 2022.
Richard Marles: We will stay with Ukraine for as long as it takes for this conflict to be resolved on Ukraine's terms.
Stephanie Smail : Richard Marles is the Defence Minister.
Richard Marles: $50 million of this goes to NATO's Pearl Initiative. This is NATO encouraging a number of countries to contribute money so that essentially a new American kit can be purchased for Ukraine. And along with New Zealand, we are the first non-NATO countries to commit to this initiative and we're very pleased to be able to do that.
Stephanie Smail : The Federal Government will also impose sanctions on 45 Russian ships, adding to efforts by other countries including the United Kingdom and New Zealand. As the peace talks drag on, so does the war in Ukraine. But Professor Alexandra Chinchilla from Texas A&M University has told Deutsche Welle there's still hope.
Alexandra Chinchilla: This war is costly for Russia. If the White House can convince Russia that it is serious about continuing to support Ukraine and European efforts to support Ukraine, I think that will be the key piece that puts real pressure on Russia to potentially agree to a deal that is more aligned with a sustainable future for Europe and Ukraine.
Stephanie Smail : Professor Chinchilla explains the United States could reap big economic rewards from Russia in the process, which could cloud the push for peace. But she points out the talks aren't over yet. What
Alexandra Chinchilla: I worry about is if they get overly interested in the economic aspects of the cooperation without thinking about the security issues, which are equally as important. I actually see the failure of the talks today as a positive sign that maybe the Trump administration has taken that discussions with Ukraine and Europe seriously and is thinking about actually pushing for a deal that will be aligned with US and European shared security interests.
Sabra Lane: Professor Alexandra Chinchilla from Texas A&M University ending that report by Stephanie Smail.