Australia signs security pact with Ukraine, backs NATO war against Russia

@Oscar_Grenfell1 October 2026facebook iconWhile in New York last week for the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a far-reaching security pact with Ukraine and announced another military contribution to the US-NATO war against Russia.

Beyond the immediate significance of those commitments, Albanese was signalling his support for the broader transformation of the UN meeting into a festival of militarist reaction.

The leaders of the European powers frothingly denounced Moscow and deepened their support for a war that is aimed at inflicting a decisive defeat on Russia. US President Donald Trump repeated his genocidal threat to “annihilate” Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bragged about his government’s onslaught on the Palestinians and its rampage throughout the Middle East.

Albanese responded by boasting of his “very good relationship” with Trump. He posted a selfie with Trump, just hours after the latter had again declared that the US military might drive Iran, a country of more than 90 million people, “into hell with no chance of survival.” The unprovoked US war that is already underway is completely illegal, and such threats of mass destruction by a head of state are themselves a war crime.

“Always good to catch up with @POTUS,” Albanese captioned the picture of himself and Trump grinning together.

Two days later, during a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Albanese piously intoned: “This is an issue for the world, because if a large, more powerful country in Russia is allowed to profit from breaking the international rules of law with its illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine, then that sets a bad precedent for the entire world.”

The Australian media reported those comments uncritically, including with reference to Albanese’s “emotional” tone while delivering them, without a hint of the staggering hypocrisy.

The central tenet of Albanese’s prime ministership has been deepening Australia’s alignment with an American imperialism that is spearheading a global war and is openly trampling on international law in the process.

The US and the European powers deliberately provoked Russia’s reactionary invasion by transforming Ukraine into a garrison state on its border, and have since used the war to weaken Moscow.

The reality that Zelenskyy is a frontman for imperialism was on graphic display in New York itself, with the Ukrainian leader meeting the various European leaders and Trump, all of whom gave new commitments of weapons and funds.

Australia has been one of the largest non-NATO contributors to the war, having provided almost $1.9 billion to Ukraine, more than $1.6 billion of it in military spending and weapons.

Albanese went further, unveiling a decade-long security pact which Zelenskyy described as “the strongest document” yet signed between the two countries.

Its breadth was indicated by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which said the deal is a “framework for future cooperation, including on military and defence industry cooperation, cyber security, maritime security, energy, humanitarian assistance, sanctions, legal accountability, border security, and Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.”

The agreement signifies not only that Australia will continue to provide weaponry to the Ukrainian regime, but that the two countries will pursue joint weapons production. Zelenskyy said they would “increase our co-production,” while the agreement specifically provides for cooperation on the production of air defence systems, missiles and drones.

It goes beyond even the current war. In the event of renewed Russian military action following a durable cessation of hostilities, the agreement provides for Australia and Ukraine to hold consultations, where possible within 24 hours, to determine their response.

That is a far-reaching commitment to unending Australian involvement in a European war, taken by the Labor government without even a fig leaf of public discussion or parliamentary sanction.

That was underscored by the accompanying announcement of aid valued at $60 million. A paltry $5 million is earmarked for “humanitarian assistance,” exposing the lie that Australia’s involvement has anything to do with concern for the plight of ordinary Ukrainians. Another $10 million is for an energy support fund.

By far the largest component, valued at $45 million, is Australian Defence Force equipment. Albanese gave no indication of what that comprises, and its contents are not listed on a single government website.

Can you explain how the Zelenskyy government's banning of opposition parties and rehabilitation of WWII Nazi collaborators fits into the history of Ukrainian nationalism?How does Australia's military buildup against China connect internationally with its arms deals to Ukraine as part of a broader US-led war strategy?Ask more questions at SocialismAI.comWhat is known, however, is the context, including of Ukraine, under the direction of NATO, having engaged in direct attacks on Russian soil over recent months, and Australia providing increasingly offensive weaponry.

Australia has supplied six M777 155mm howitzers and ammunition, anti-armour weapons and, more recently, 49 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks. In 2024, the Albanese government also began supplying short-range air-defence equipment and precision weapons designed to strike targets from the air.

In July 2024, Labor announced what was then its largest single military package for Ukraine, worth almost $250 million. It included various missiles and precision-strike weapons, anti-tank systems and ammunition for artillery, mortars and smaller-calibre weapons. The government did not publicly identify many of the weapons or disclose the quantities being transferred.

As with those previous announcements, there is every prospect that the Australian Labor government is transferring weapons to Ukraine that will be used to strike targets within Russia. As with the US and the NATO powers, that creates a situation where, while no war has been declared, it would be legitimate to describe Australia as being at war with Russia, a nuclear-armed state on the other side of the world.

That is one component of Labor’s support for US-led wars globally. Albanese was among the first world leaders to explicitly endorse the illegal US assault on Iran, and subsequently sent a command warplane and troops to the Middle East to aid the war. Labor is vastly expanding the size of the Australian military, as well as the US presence in the country, in a program that is aimed at preparing for war with China.

The depictions of this militarist rampage as being about “peace” and “democracy” are a transparent fraud, expressed not only in the fact that it is being led by the fascistic Trump, but also by the character of the Ukrainian regime.

Labor is supporting Zelenskyy, under conditions where he has ruled as a dictator since annulling scheduled elections in early 2024 and banning most opposition parties. The Ukrainian government has rehabilitated the country’s World War II Nazi collaborators as “heroes,” snatches young people off the streets to conscript them into the war and persecutes opponents.

That includes Bogdan Syrotiuk, a World Socialist Web Site correspondent and young socialist, who was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in August, on trumped-up “treason” charges. His “crime” was to advocate the unity of Ukrainian and Russian workers on a socialist anti-war program.

Needless to say, Albanese did not mention Syrotiuk’s plight during his paeans to Ukrainian “democracy,” nor has it been reported by a single corporate media outlet in the country or by the state-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation.