Australia Pledges to Send 49 Tanks to Ukraine in ‘Timely Fashion’

The prime minister also said he was open to sending peace keeping troops to Ukraine.

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

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles has promised 49 Abrams tanks for the Ukraine will arrive in a “timely fashion.”

The news comes after the United States paused all military aid to the Ukraine following a tense exchange between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and multiple Labor cabinet ministers have since reiterated support for Ukraine in tandem with the UK’s Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Discussing the war on March 4, Marles said Australia had established a timeline with the Ukrainian government about the delivery of those tanks, but would not go into the detail due to operational reasons.

“Well, 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,” Marles said on the ABC.

“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.”

Marles also reaffirmed Australia’s support for Ukraine, adding “we stand with Ukraine so that this can be, this conflict can be resolved on Ukraine’s terms.”

Dutton Reluctant to Put Boots on Ground, Albanese Open to It

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton reiterated his position that Australia should continue to provide support for Ukraine but did not see the need to get directly involved on the front lines.

“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.

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.

However, Albanese said he was “open to consideration” for peace keeping support on the ground but did not provide a firm commitment at this stage.

“There’s a discussion at the moment about potential peacekeeping and from my government’s perspective, we’re open to consideration of any proposals going forward,” the prime minister told reporters at a press conference.

Albanese said Australia was ready to assist the Ukraine and added, “We stand with the people of Ukraine, and we stand with President Zelenskyy.”

US Pause on Aid to Ukraine

On March 3, news emerged that the United States had halted aid to the Ukraine and would review it.

“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.

This comes after Zelenskyy said a peace deal “is still very, very far away” during an emergency summit in London designed to gain more European support for Ukraine.

However, following these comments, Trump alleged that Zelenskyy does not want peace in a Truth Social post on March 3.

“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer,” Trump said.

“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S.—Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking? ”

The Ukraine and Russia war traces back to 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea in southern Ukraine. Then three years ago in 2022, Russia launched a large-scale military invasion of Ukraine.

Western powers have imposed sanctions on Russia since along with providing military and financial support to the Ukraine.

The United States has given at least US$175 billion (A$282 billion) worth of aid to the Ukraine since 2022, while Australia has delivered more than $1.5 billion as of late February.