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political reporter Matthew Doran in Phnom Penh

Ukraine foreign minister thanks Anthony Albanese at ASEAN Summit for Australian support

Ukraine's foreign minister has praised the role played by Australian armoured personnel carriers in efforts to liberate Russian-controlled areas of his country.

Dmytro Kuleba and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a brief encounter at the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia on Saturday, with Mr Albanese reiterating Australia's ongoing support for the war effort against invading Russian troops.

Australia has committed 90 Bushmaster armoured personnel carriers to the Ukrainian military, after pleas for support from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Bushmasters became the most popular Australian brand in Ukraine, and I do think they became a symbol of your political, economic and military support," Mr Kuleba told Mr Albanese.

"I myself have seen videos from both eastern and south of Ukraine, with Ukrainian soldiers in Bushmasters advancing and liberating Ukrainian territories, and saving civilians in the occupied territories from Russian savagery.

"We will definitely prevail. When the victory comes, it will be our joint success."

Mr Albanese said the conflict was front of mind for many.

"There will be, I'm sure, no-one in Ukraine — and indeed of the diaspora that are in Australia — no-one who has not been impacted personally and very directly as a result of the Russian illegal aggression against Ukraine," he said.

"Be assured of Australia's ongoing support and our admiration for your struggle."

Mr Kuleba told journalists after the meeting that he had discussed Ukraine's energy crisis with Mr Albanese, and asked him to help.

Russian military strikes have targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure, fuelling deep concerns about how Ukrainians will handle the long Eastern European winter.

"He assured me that Australia will continue supporting Ukraine in practical terms," Mr Kuleba said.

"He took the list of our energy needs.

"He promised that he will immediately instruct appropriate members of his government to consider it because it's a very special technical issue."

Albanese meets Cambodian PM, global leaders hold further talks

Mr Albanese also met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is hosting the ASEAN and East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh.

He committed Australia to supporting ASEAN and South-East Asian nations, appointing former Macquarie Bank boss Nicholas Moore as a special envoy for the region.

Other South-East Asian heads of government were due to hold talks with visiting global leaders, including US President Joe Biden, as the region tries to navigate the growing rivalry between China and Western powers.

Mr Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Mr Albanese are among the leaders set to hold separate talks with the bloc.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met ASEAN leaders on Friday.

Mr Yoon called for more cooperation with China and Japan, including a leadership summit to discuss security and climate change. 

He also said North Korea's provocations and attempts to boost its nuclear and missile capabilities were a serious threat to the international community.

Australian's imprisonment raised at summit

The crisis in Myanmar has cast a long shadow over the ASEAN Summit, with the member country excluded from meetings since the military coup in February last year.

Australia has faced international pressure to impose sanctions against the junta, but has not gone further than to say sanctions are "under active consideration".

The imprisonment of Australian economist Sean Turnell, a former adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi, is regularly cited as a reason for Australia's hesitation.

The prime minister denied his country was out of step.

"We have taken a range of actions against Myanmar in Australia's national interest," Mr Albanese said.

"And we have also, at this summit, raised the issue of Sean Turnell."

Regional leaders are taking part in a series of summits over the next seven days, with difficult discussions expected to take place on topics including the war in Ukraine, climate change and tensions around the South China Sea.

G20 leaders are meeting in Bali next week and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will take place in Bangkok after that.

ABC/Reuters

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