Ministers from the UK and Australia have pledged closer ties while condemning Beijing and Pyongyang’s involvement in the Ukraine War.
Following the annual AUKMIN meeting at Lancaster House in London, defence and foreign ministers issued a statement covering a swathe of geopolitical tensions.
The ministers expressed strong condemnation of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which they labelled a blatant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and international law.
Australia pledged to extend its participation in Operation Interflex, a UK-led initiative that has already trained over 50,000 Ukrainian recruits.
Beyond direct military aid, the ministers took aim at countries assisting Russia.
“Ministers shared deep concerns about the role of third countries in enabling Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine,” the ministers said.
The 2024 AUKMIN was attended by UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Defence Secretary John Healey, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles.
They urged Beijing to cease the activities of companies supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex, and called on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to use its influence with Moscow to secure an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
Since the start of the Ukraine War, the CCP has continued to strengthen its ties with Moscow.
On Dec. 17, Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it would continue to cooperate with Russian enterprises, despite the European Union’s latest round of sanctions targeting individuals and entities allegedly supporting Russia’s war effort.
Meanwhile, Australian and UK leaders also condemned North Korea’s missile programmes, and its decision to supply arms to Russia including millions of artillery shells like the KN-23 solid fuel ballistic missile.
Greg Scarlatoiu, the newly appointed president of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, has previously said the regime was driven by financial motives.
Since April, North Korea has delivered significant quantities of artillery shells to Russia, with reports suggesting that half of the shells used by Russian forces so far have been North Korean-made.
Moreover, Scarlatoiu revealed that North Korea has dispatched elite special forces from the Korean People’s Army to the front lines in Ukraine.
These troops, part of the highly disciplined 11th Army Corps, are considered among the best trained soldiers in the North Korean military.
The financial incentives for these soldiers are substantial, with reports suggesting that Russia is paying North Korea $2,000 per soldier per month.
However, much of this salary is reportedly seized by the North Korean regime, underscoring the country’s reliance on foreign conflicts as a revenue source.
