A deal to send ammunition to Ukraine announced by France and Australia appears to have set in motion a new era of defence cooperation that aims to finally mend the relations between the two Indo-Pacific neighbours that were badly fractured by a row over submarines.
Laying to rest past grievances, the foreign and defence ministers of both countries spoke of the mutual respect, shared values and long history that underpinned the friendship – making it possible to turn the page on tensions provoked by Australia’s 2021 reversal of a major submarine deal.
