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AAP
AAP
Politics
Maeve Bannister and Dominic Giannini

'Stop this war now', PM Albanese urges Putin on Ukraine

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the war in Ukraine and withdraw his forces.

Marking a year since Russia's invasion, Mr Albanese paid tribute to Ukrainian people, who had shown courage and resilience against a much larger country.

"President Putin: stop this war now, withdraw your forces, this is an unprovoked attack," he told reporters in Wollongong on Friday.

"No one is threatening Russia. No one is threatening Russia's sovereignty. There is no need for you to continue this war."

Australia will provide drones to Ukraine to aid Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

The $33 million package will help intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

A further suite of financial sanctions and travel bans will also be rolled out against 90 people and 40 entities.

Ukraine's ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko has called for a step-up in support to dispel the Russian invasion on the one-year anniversary of the conflict.

In an address to the National Press Club, the ambassador will encourage nations to be part of a "mutual victory for democracy over authoritarianism" in 2023.

"Ukraine will win due to a step-up in strength with its allies, such as Australia," he will say in his speech on Friday.

He also thanked the Australian government for the hundreds of millions of dollars given in humanitarian and military aid, saying it had helped Kyiv take back some 50 per cent of recently occupied territories.

"It is the ANZAC spirit and Australian mateship for Ukraine on wheels, wheels that roll toward mutual victory," he will say.

"The more Aussie mateship, the faster Ukraine's and democracy's victory."

Australia has donated almost $700 million in support, $510 million of which is military-related.

It includes 90 Bushmasters, 28 armoured vehicles, anti-armour weapons and howitzers and ammunition.

The announcement coincides with the first 200 Ukrainian recruits graduating from military training provided by Australian and British soldiers in the UK.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Ukraine would be one of Australia's great friends and allies long into the future.

While Australia couldn't provide the same level of support as bigger nations such as the United States, it was important to continue assisting as much as possible.

"We have to be sensible about what we can afford ... for us it's an important statement of principle and standing up for our values," he told Sky News.

"(The support) needs to continue. It does come at a cost. But there is a huge cost of inaction as well."

Canberra has also slapped more than 1000 sanctions on Russian and Belarusian politicians, generals and oligarchs as part of an international effort to strangle their economies and ability to fund the war.

This includes new listings against one of Russia's largest arms manufacturers, a submarine developer, an aviation company and a missile designer.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said targeted sanctions reflect Australia's support for the people of Ukraine and for the "fundamental norms of sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Australia joined 140 other member states to support a resolution calling for a just peace in Ukraine at an emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly overnight.

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