Australian PM listens to plight of locals in Ukraine amid war with Russia; affirms support

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited war-ravaged Ukraine on Sunday and met locals at the sites of the Russian offensive. Albanese, who also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, encountered both warmth and sadness of the Ukrainians impacted by more than 130 days of the Moscow-Kyiv war. According to ABC News, Australian embassy staffer Nadia Teriokhina elaborated to Albanese how her priority was to not get trapped behind the enemy lines when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the “special” operation in Ukraine on February 24. 

She reportedly told the Australian PM that she counter herself among the lucky ones. Notably, just 10 minutes from Teriokhina’s home in Irpin, hundreds were massacred in Bucha, near Kyiv. She told Albanese, “We didn't know what to do, how to behave or where to run...I said to my husband, 'I just don't want to be in the occupied territory,' so we went to Kyiv."

Albanese travelled under secrecy to Ukraine through Poland and transited the war-torn nation using an armoured diplomatic train which was seen being used by a range of other leaders. He travelled in a group of seven and as per the report, these included his social media photographer, foreign affairs adviser, national security adviser, a senior member of his department and one of his personal political staffers.

He visited the war-impacted sites in Ukraine including Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin. Notably, all three towns near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv faced the most intense brutality of Russian forces so far. Conveying the plight of war, local council head Tars Shaprovskiy told Australian PM Albanese that “Bucha is now a notorious name. This is a very sad place” while adding, “Every one of them shot. This was not collateral damage, this was intentional. One of the slaughterhouses was a summer camp. There were four volunteers there. They were all shot”, according to ABC News.

In response, Albanese told Shaprovskiy, “Australia shares your desire to seek justice for these war crimes, and we will continue to do so."

Zelenskyy hails Australia for joining Ukraine's post-war reconstruction

Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the Australian PM and hailed Canberra’s “readiness” in joining the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. Zelenksyy said, “Australia supports Ukraine and provides substantial aid, including defense one. Security cooperation and further protection of freedom were the key topics of our talks with Anthony Albanese. We also discussed the food crisis provoked by Russia, economic challenges, and the need to enhance macro-financial support for Ukraine.”

Ukrainian President added, “We appreciate Australia's willingness to join the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. Thank you for the visit and substantive negotiations!”

Image: AP