Australia ‘Waiting’ for Ukraine’s Request for Boots on the Ground, Will Give It ‘Due Consideration’

This comes as President Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table after the US cut aid.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares for a meeting in London, England, on March 2, 2025. Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the government will look into any request from the Ukraine for boots on the ground amid ongoing discussions about the Russia-Ukraine war.

This follows Prime Minister Anthony Albanese suggesting Australia was open to considering sending Australian peacekeeping troops to the Ukraine.

When asked about the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, Marles, who is also defence minister, explained Australia would stand by the Ukraine for as long as it takes to end the war on their terms.

“We are waiting for those requests to come in, but we'll give them due consideration ... We’ve, and the prime minister made that point yesterday that if and when a request comes in, we will have a good look at it and see how we can contribute,” he told Sky News Australia on March 5.

“The important point is this, and we’ve been saying this consistently, we stand with Ukraine and Russia is the aggressor here and we will stand with Ukraine for as long as is required for Ukraine to resolve this on their terms. If there is an acceptable peace to Ukraine, that’s obviously good, but we stand with Ukraine.”

Australia, along with the UK and European nations, has continued stand by Ukraine after U.S. President Donald Trump’s fiery exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.

The Trump administration announced it would cut aid to the Ukraine on March 3 (U.S. time), just a few days after the tense negotiation attempt.

“The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” a White House Official told The Epoch Times.

Now that Trump has pulled this aid, Zelenskyy is now talking about a possible peace plan.

In what appeared to be a change in approach to his relationship with the United States, Zelenskyy said the Ukraine was now ready to sign the agreement on minerals and security “in any time” and “in any convenient format.”

“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive,” Zelenskyy said on X.

“We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence”

This came after Zelenskyy said a peace deal was “still very, very far away,” to which Trump responded, alleging that Zelenskyy did not want peace.

Albanese Also Open to Peacekeeping Troops, But Dutton Doesn’t Agree

The prime minister told reporters on March 4 there was a discussion about potential peacekeeping missions and reiterated support for the Ukraine and Zelenskyy.

“From my government’s perspective, we’re open to consideration of any proposals going forward,” Albanese told reporters.

However, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton does not see the need to get directly involved on the front lines, despite his overall support for Ukraine.

“We should continue to provide support to Ukraine. We have been involved in training and providing support to Ukraine soldiers and I think that should continue. In terms of if we should have boots on the ground in Ukraine, I don’t see that,” he told reporters on March 4.

Australia has delivered more than $1.5 billion (US$937 million) worth of aid to the Ukraine, while the United States has provided at least US$175 billion.

Dutton also said that the United States has to focus on “other theatres” and other areas of engagement and described this as “appropriate.”

“And I think the fact that NATO countries are spending more, or are committing to spending more in their defence budget, is a good thing,” he added.

Marles also indicated Australia had established a timeline with the Ukrainian government on the delivery of 49 Abrams tanks.

“They‘ll definitely arrive in a timely fashion and they’ll arrive in a timeframe that we’ve agreed with Ukraine and that’s exactly how we have managed the delivery of other equipment to Ukraine,” he said on March 4.

“And obviously we don’t go into that timeline because, you know, for obvious reasons. But this has been agreed with Ukraine and they’re very grateful for the contribution.”