Australian Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham is calling for Australia’s ambassador to Ukraine to return to Kyiv.
He also promised the Coalition would reopen Australia’s embassy in the Ukrainian capital. It is currently stationed in Warsaw, Poland, due to staff safety and security concerns.
The Senator is currently in Kyiv, meeting with senior Ukrainian ministers and witnessing the war’s impact firsthand on the ground.
Speaking from Ukraine, Birmingham shared his concerns about Australia’s ambassador not being in Ukraine while Australians continue to foot the rent for the embassy.
“Now we’ve seen around 70 countries reopen their embassies in Kyiv to make sure that they are in the best possible position to receive intelligence briefings, analysis, and information in real-time. And to be there for face-to-face briefings with the Ukrainian government that Australia misses out on because we don’t have that presence here.”
He highlighted that without the ambassador in Ukraine, Australia was gathering “weaker and poorer” information.
Paul Lehmann, Australia’s Ambassador to Ukraine, was appointed in December 2023.
He has previously served in senior diplomatic positions in Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, and Afghanistan.
Birmingham expressed respect for Lehmann’s work and said he does the best possible job he can under the rules set by the department and the Albanese government.
He said that if Ukraine prevails in the war, it will send a powerful signal to all of the tyrants and autocrats around the world.
“Equally, if Ukraine doesn’t succeed, they will of course be emboldened. That’s why Australia, working with other democratic partners, needs to continue to keep the best support to this democracy in the face of this attack from Russia,” he said.
Foreign Affairs Decision Based on Security
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson told The Epoch Times that Australia remains unwavering in its support for the Ukrainian government and people.
“Australia’s diplomatic presence in Ukraine is kept under regular review. For now, Australia’s Embassy to Ukraine is operating remotely from Warsaw, where our Head of Mission manages Australia’s interests effectively, supported by close engagement with Ukraine’s embassy in Canberra,” the spokesperson said.
“Any decision on a permanent return of our embassy to Kyiv would be based on thorough security and work health and safety risk assessments.”
This comes amid missile and drone strikes on 15 regions of Ukraine, hitting Kyiv’s power and water supplies.In the last month, 40 civilians in Ukraine were killed by Russian missile strikes, including one at a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
During a Senate Estimates hearing, DFAT Secretary Jan Adams said she views staff safety and security as paramount and that her assessment of Work Health and Safety responsibilities remained unchanged.
“The risks to personnel there are high. Kyiv’s air defence systems have, I think, performed admirably, but, as we saw with the very unfortunate events over the new year, they’re not able to defend completely against missile attacks from the Russians,” Adams said.
Adams said the situation remained unpredictable and quite challenging to mitigate, with the embassy operating remotely out of Warsaw.
“They’re able to manage Australia’s interests quite effectively from there. That is supplemented by our active engagement with the Ukraine embassy here in Canberra,” she said.
“There is a serious risk to life,” the advice, updated Aug. 23, states.
“If you’re in Ukraine, be aware of your surroundings, review your personal security plans and monitor media for information about changing security conditions and alerts to shelter in place.”
